Two men appear on Federal heroin charges in Charleston

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two men appeared in federal court today on heroin charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto.

Timothy A. Johnson, 46, of Charleston, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute heroin. Johnson previously pleaded guilty and admitted that on April 23, 2015, law enforcement seized 200 grams of heroin, 384 grams of cocaine, 8 grams of crack, and over $29,000 at his Charleston residence. The seized currency included over $2,000 in pre-recorded buy money used by law enforcement to purchase heroin from a drug dealer that Johnson supplied. Law enforcement also recovered a loaded handgun, a .40 caliber pistol, from his residence.

In a separate drug prosecution, Jerome Anthony Smith, 41, of Williamson, pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin. He admitted that from May to August 2014, during the course of several controlled purchases, he distributed both heroin and crack to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. The drug deals took place in the Williamson area. Smith faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on June 9, 2016.

The investigation of Smith was conducted by the U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force and the Mingo County Sheriff’s Office. The Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team conducted the investigation of Johnson. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald handled the prosecutions. The defendants appeared before United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston.

These cases were brought as 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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