FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 26, 2011
CHICAGO MAN SENTENCED TO PRISON ON FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Derrick Lamont Jenkins, 23, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced today to four years in prison by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers for conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and a quantity of oxycodone. Jenkins admitted that on August 19, 2009, he sold 11 80-milligram oxycodone pills to an undercover informant. The defendant was arrested by law enforcement following the drug transaction. Jenkins further admitted to possessing 48 80-milligram oxycodone pills at the time of his arrest. The defendant admitted that he began selling oxycodone pills that were obtained from the same source who had supplied him with crack cocaine beginning in May 2008. Jenkins also admitted that on two separate occasions, he either flushed numerous pills down the toilet or was present when his drug source flushed numerous pills down the toilet during raids conducted by law enforcement officers. Jenkins admitted that a total of approximately 3500 80-milligram oxycodone pills were flushed away on those two occasions.
This case was investigated by the Huntington Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory McVey handled the prosecution.
This case is being brought as part of the Drug Market Intervention (DMI) initiative. The Drug Market Intervention initiative was established in October of 2010 through a partnership between the Office of U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin, the Huntington Police Department, along with support from the Fairfield West Improvement Council, the Fairfield Crime and Safety Committee and several state and local agencies. The initiative is primarily aimed at closing down open-air drug markets that breed crimes of violence and disorder.
This case was also 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.
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