Derrell Cashawn Massey, Methamphetamine Trafficking, West Virginia 2024

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - A major player in a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization has pleaded guilty in federal court. Derrell Cashawn Massey, 34, of Detroit, Michigan, also known as 'Rell' and 'Fat Rell,' admitted to distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Massey pleaded guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He admitted to a leading role in the DTO responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 3, 2023, Massey distributed approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at a Ninth Street residence in Huntington where Massey was living. The confidential informant had called Massey beforehand to arrange the transaction, agreeing to pay $2,000 in exchange for the methamphetamine.

Massey admitted to the transaction and further admitted to participating in the DTO from at least November 2022 through November 2023. Massey's participation included arranging for quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to be transported from Detroit and other areas to Huntington for distribution. Massey also distributed at least 30 pounds of methamphetamine to a specific customer in Nitro, West Virginia, and directed other individuals to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl to various customers. Massey admitted that he aided and abetted the distribution of a total of 8.6 pounds of methamphetamine on 10 separate occasions between February 27, 2023, and September 7, 2023.

Massey and other DTO participants used multiple residences to store and distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl, including Massey's Ninth Avenue residence in Huntington. On September 12, 2023, law enforcement officers seized six 9mm semiautomatic pistols at Massey's Ninth Avenue residence.

Massey is scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2024, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine.

Massey is among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/ringleader-pleads-guilty-methamphetamine-trafficking-organization-case