HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — A Detroit drug dealer and his local accomplice have admitted their roles in flooding Huntington’s streets with lethal fentanyl. Vernon Eugene Mitchell, 30, and Tasha Lynn Adkins, 34, both pleaded guilty today to federal charges of distributing fentanyl, with Mitchell also admitting to possessing a firearm during the drug operation. The confessions mark a critical blow to a deadly supply chain that exploited one of America’s hardest-hit opioid zones.
Mitchell, out-of-state but deep in the heart of West Virginia’s crisis, used a network of handoffs to distribute the synthetic killer. On October 2, 2019, a confidential informant met him directly at 13th Street West and Monroe Avenue, where he handed over a batch of fentanyl. Less than a month later, on October 28, he orchestrated another deal — this time sending the buyer to a residence on 5th Avenue, where Adkins stepped in to deliver the drugs.
When law enforcement raided Mitchell’s apartment at 438 ½ 5th Avenue on November 7, 2019, they found more than just drugs. Inside, both Mitchell and Adkins were present. Officers seized $11,201 in cash and a loaded .45 caliber pistol. Mitchell admitted under oath that the money came from fentanyl sales and confirmed he knowingly possessed the firearm to protect his operation — a federal offense that carries a mandatory minimum sentence.
U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart didn’t mince words: “Detroit is home for another drug dealer taken down in southern West Virginia. Fentanyl has been a death drug for our people and Detroit and out-of-state drug dealers simply don’t care. These two were quite the pair. Drugs and guns don’t mix and lawbreakers will be caught and prosecuted. We are all safer having these two off the streets.”
Mitchell faces a minimum of five years and up to life in federal prison when sentenced on November 23, 2020. Adkins, who facilitated at least one controlled delivery, faces up to 20 years behind bars on the same day. Both pleaded before U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Adams leading the prosecution.
The case was built by the Huntington Police Department and prosecuted under two federal initiatives: Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.), targeting high-impact opioid trafficking zones, and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the DOJ’s flagship violent crime reduction strategy. Court documents are available via PACER under Case No. 3:19-cr-00311.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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