West Huntington Man Sentenced For Role In Heroin Conspiracy

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A West Huntington man was sentenced today to 15 months in federal prison for his role in a heroin distribution conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.  Brandon S. Keaton, 28, pleaded guilty in April 2014 to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of heroin before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers in Huntington.

Beginning in the summer of 2013, Keaton participated in a conspiracy along with Christopher Lamarr-Shawn Harris, Denzel Lamar Bunkley, Jakaiser Wesely Jackson, and others, to distribute heroin primarily in West Huntington.  On December 30, 2013, Keaton distributed heroin to a confidential informant in the 1400 block of Jefferson Avenue in West Huntington.  After the distribution, Keaton was observed entering an apartment located at 1416 Jefferson Avenue. 

On December 31, 2013, officers with the Huntington Police Department’s Special Investigations Unit executed a search warrant at the Jefferson Avenue apartment.  Officers seized approximately 413 grams of heroin and $12,349 in United States currency during the search.  Keaton was arrested on January 26, 2014, and admitted to officers that he participated with others in the conspiracy by distributing heroin in West Huntington from the apartment over a six-month period.

Harris, Bunkley, and Jackson all previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracy and are scheduled to be sentenced in October 2014.

The Huntington Police Department Special Investigations Unit, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals Service all participated in the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams handled the prosecution. 

This case is being prosecuted 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 heroin and prescription drugs.  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 opiates, including heroin, in communities across the Southern District.