Another Dealers to Prison via Detroit to Huntington Federal Court Express

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A Detroit, Michigan man was sentenced to 15 months in prison  for distributing fentanyl, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Octavius Ellis, 23, previously pled guilty in December 2018 to knowingly and intentionally distributing fentanyl.  The Huntington Police Department handled the investigation.

“Another Detroit drug thug going to federal prison by way of the Detroit to Huntington express,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “The message to Detroit and the Detroit poison peddlers – there’s plenty of room at the “inn” if you bring your poisons to West Virginia.”

On January 19, 2018, officers with the Huntington Police Department utilized a confidential informant to arrange a controlled buy of heroin from Ellis. Ellis arrived at the buy location in the West End of Huntington and provided the confidential informant with a substance he represented to be heroin in exchange for $70. Testing by the West Virginia State Police Lab confirmed the substance to actually be fentanyl. 

United States District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman handled the prosecution.

This case is being prosecuted as part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), an enforcement surge that seeks to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas