Man Pleads Guilty to Drug and Gun Offenses

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Kanawha County man pleaded guilty today to distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Shawn Lamont Lane, 33, of Charleston, was arrested in March 2021 while in possession of a large quantity of methamphetamine and a Springfield Armory XD-M Elite 9mm pistol.  Lane also admitted that he sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Charleston in July 2021.

Lane is scheduled to be sentenced on July 21, 2022, and faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug offense and a consecutive sentence of at least five years and up to life in prison for the firearm offense.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Alex Hamner is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00227.

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