Michaelo Merone Gets 50 Months for Heroin Distribution

Michaelo Merone, 30, of Westover, West Virginia, is headed to federal prison for 50 months after pleading guilty to one count of Distribution of Heroin. The sentence, handed down today in Clarksburg, marks the end of a years-long investigation into a regional drug network feeding the opioid crisis in North Central West Virginia.

Merone was caught in October 2015, Monongalia County authorities seizing heroin during a targeted operation. The bust exposed a steady flow of narcotics from out-of-state sources into local communities, where overdose rates continue to climb. Federal prosecutors called the case a textbook example of how small-scale dealers amplify a national epidemic.

Three others were sentenced alongside Merone in a series of coordinated rulings. Bertha Horton, 56, of Fairmont, received 36 months for Distribution of Cocaine Base Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location. Horton sold crack cocaine in May 2014 within sight of East Fairmont Junior High School in Marion County—a fact that triggered enhanced penalties under federal law.

Darrin Lawrence Broadnax, 49, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to 27 months for Distribution of Heroin Within 1,000 Feet of a Protected Location. Broadnax transported the drug from Michigan before selling it near an elementary school in Monongalia County in January 2015. His out-of-state ties raised red flags for investigators probing interstate trafficking routes.

Raimonte Gaston, 23, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 15 months after being found in possession of heroin in Harrison County, West Virginia. Though his role appeared limited, prosecutors emphasized that even low-level actors face stiff consequences in federal court. The Greater Harrison County Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, led the probe.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted Merone, Horton, and Broadnax. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn M. Adkins and Stephen D. Warner handled the Gaston case. The Mon Metro Drug Task Force, Three Rivers Drug Task Force, and federal HIDTA program collaborated on investigations. U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided over all proceedings.