Dunbar Man Sentenced for Federal Drug Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Dunbar drug dealer was sentenced to federal prison for a drug crime, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  Samuel Manriquez, 34 was sentenced to 15 months in prison for distribution of furanyl fentanyl and U-47700. Furanyl fentanyl is an analog of fentanyl and U-477001 is a synthetic opioid. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (“MDENT”).

“Manriquez was caught selling deadly and powerful drugs on Charleston’s West Side,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “We are laser focused and working with a sense of urgency to get drug dealers and their poisons off of our streets.”

Manriquez previously admitted that on May 8, 2017, on Delaware Avenue in Charleston he sold a confidential informant U-47700 and furanyl fentanyl. He also admitted that there was a firearm present during the drug transaction.  Manriquez admitted that on the same date and at the same location, he sold another confidential informant U-47700.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders is handling the prosecution.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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