FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Feb. 15, 2012
THREE INDIVIDUALS SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR HEROIN DISTRIBUTION
Six Defendants Total Sentenced This Week for Roles in a Charleston Heroin Distribution Ring
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Three individuals were sentenced today in federal court by United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston for their participation in heroin distribution scheme that took place in and around Charleston. Jeremy David Parker, 32, of Sissonville, West Virginia, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment. Also, Michael Moore, 28, of Charleston, was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, Brittany Staton, 20, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin said, “Throughout our ongoing fight against the spread of illegal opiates in the Southern District, we have seen instances where people have turned to lower cost, higher potency alternatives such as heroin.”
Goodwin continued, “So it is critical for us to keep the pressure mounted on suppliers of these dangerous and potentially deadly drugs.”
Parker previously pleaded guilty in October to conspiracy to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. Parker admitted that from about December 2010 until March 17, 2011, he conspired with associates to distribute heroin in the Charleston area. Parker admitted that on January 11, 2011, he sold a quantity of heroin to a confidential informant working with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). At the time of the drug transaction, the informant met the defendant in South Charleston and provided the defendant with $120 in exchange for a balloon of heroin.
Moore previously pleaded guilty in June to aiding and abetting the distribution of a quantity of heroin. On December 30, 2010, Moore agreed to sell a quantity of heroin to a confidential informant working with MDENT. The informant subsequently arrived at Moore’s South Charleston apartment and provided the defendant with cash. Moore admitted that his associate provided the informant with a quantity of heroin to complete the drug transaction.
Parker and Moore both stipulated in their plea agreements that during the conspiracy, they allowed co-conspirators to operate their vehicles to deliver heroin.
Staton previously pleaded guilty in September to aiding and abetting the distribution of heroin. Staton admitted that on February 15, 2011 she and an associate sold a balloon containing .34 grams of heroin to a confidential informant working with MDENT in exchange for $120. The defendant also admitted that on February 18, 2011, she and an associate sold a balloon containing .34 grams of heroin to the same confidential informant in exchange for $120. Staton further admitted that on March 17, 2011, she and two associates traveled from South Carolina to West Virginia with more than 100 grams of heroin intended for distribution in the Charleston area. The defendant and her associates were subsequently arrested and the heroin was recovered from a Charleston residence that the associates shared at the time.
On Monday, Jorge Robles Garcia also known as “Javier Mendez-Gonzalez,” 32, of Mexico, was sentenced to 82 months’ imprisonment. Angela Mangiapane, 23, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment, and Alonso Marquez Tello, 24, of Mexico, was sentenced to 38 months’ imprisonment for their roles in the heroin distribution conspiracy.
The cases were investigated by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). Assistant United States Attorney Monica Dillon handled the prosecutions.
Click here to listen to an audio clip from U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin discussing the additional heroin sentencings handed down this week in federal court.
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