FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 4, 2011
DETROIT WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL OXYCODONE CHARGE
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Chaelyn Royette Anthony, 31, of Detroit, pleaded guilty today in federal court before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute oxycodone and oxymorphone. Anthony admitted that on April 20, 2011, she arrived in Huntington by Greyhound bus from Detroit and was subsequently picked up upon arrival by a known associate. Shortly after the defendant entered the known associate’s vehicle, an officer from the Huntington Police Department conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle. The defendant advised the officer at the time that she had controlled substances in her purse. A search of the defendant’s purse by law enforcement revealed approximately 600 30-milligram oxycodone tablets and 90 40-milligram oxymorphone tablets. Anthony waived her Miranda rights and agreed to be interviewed by police. The defendant admitted that she had been paid to bring the controlled substances to Huntington, West Virginia.
Anthony faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when she is sentenced on January 9, 2012.
This case was 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 prescription drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by various federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, remain committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers in communities across the Southern District.
The Huntington Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution.
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