Michigan Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Willie Davis McCall III, also known as “Primo” and “Ill Will,” 43, of Warren, Michigan, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release, for distribution of 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 30, 2025, McCall sold approximately 55.53 grams of a substance containing fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $2,700. As part of his guilty plea, McCall admitted that he conducted the transaction while in a parked vehicle in Charleston.

McCall further admitted that he distributed or possessed with the intent to distribute nearly 500 grams of fentanyl from in or about April 2025 through in or about June 2025. The distributions included the sale of approximately 55.40 grams of fentanyl on April 3, 2025, and of approximately 55.57 grams of fentanyl on June 11, 2025, each time to a confidential informant in Charleston in exchange for $2,700.

On June 17, 2025, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Charleston residence where McCall was living and seized from his bedroom closet approximately 322.16 grams of fentanyl found in six bags and $5,557. McCall admitted that he planned to distribute the seized fentanyl in and around the Southern District of West Virginia, and that the seized cash was drug proceeds.

The Court sentenced McCall as a career offender. As part of his guilty plea, McCall admitted that he was previously convicted of distribution of methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on July 26, 2017, a serious drug offense for which he was sentenced to more than one year in prison. McCall’s criminal history also includes multiple prior convictions in Michigan and Ohio for offenses including carjacking, assault with intent to murder, possession of a firearm during commission of a felony offense, possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and domestic violence.

"Career drug traffickers who continue to distribute fentanyl despite prior convictions should expect to face serious consequences,” said United States Attorney Moore Capito. “This defendant repeatedly violated the law and contributed to the flow of a highly lethal substance into our communities. We remain committed to aggressively prosecuting fentanyl dealers and seeking significant penalties for those who endanger public safety through the distribution of this deadly drug."

Capito 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 Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. 

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. 2:25-cr-192.