Antoine Rushin Gets 10 Years for Heroin Distribution

Antoine Garfield Rushin, 44, of Detroit, is headed to federal prison for a decade after admitting his role in a heroin distribution network tied to a raided Huntington residence. Rushin was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute heroin, closing a case that exposed a steady flow of narcotics into struggling communities across the Southern District of West Virginia.

The bust went down on June 29, 2015, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at 1751 Buffington Avenue in Huntington. Officers watched as Rushin entered the property moments before the raid. Inside, they found approximately 65 grams of heroin, digital scales, and multiple suspects—including Rushin—under arrest. He later admitted to supplying heroin to individuals at the house so they could push it on the street.

The investigation was led by the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force, which has intensified operations against open-air drug markets and illicit networks flooding neighborhoods with opioids. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams prosecuted the case, emphasizing Rushin’s role not as a low-level player, but as a supplier who enabled continuous distribution from the location.

In a separate but equally damning case, Bobby James Mitchell, 35, of Huntington, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison for distributing heroin. On March 16, 2016, Mitchell completed a hand-to-hand deal with a confidential informant working under DEA Task Force supervision at 1039 Rear Jefferson Avenue. He accepted $500 in exchange for approximately 6.1 grams of heroin—caught on surveillance and sealed with forensic evidence.

Mitchell’s case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gregory McVey. U.S. Chief District Judge Robert C. Chambers handed down both sentences, underscoring the court’s zero-tolerance stance on heroin distribution amid the region’s ongoing opioid crisis.

These prosecutions are part of a broader crackdown led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, targeting the illicit sale and spread of heroin and prescription opioids. With federal, state, and local agencies working in tandem, authorities are dismantling trafficking rings, shutting down street-level markets, and holding dealers accountable—one takedown at a time.