Putnam County man sentenced to federal prison for drug crimes

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Putnam County man was sentenced today to four years in federal prison for drug charges, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Christian Garrett Thornton, 30, previously pleaded guilty to four counts of distributing oxymorphone and one count of possession of oxymorphone with intent to distribute.

Thornton admitted that on four occasions in February and March of 2015, he sold Opana pills to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. The drug deals took place in Kanawha and Putnam counties. Thornton additionally admitted that in March 2015, he possessed additional Opana pills that he intended to distribute.

The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution. United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

This case is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.

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