Detroit Woman Pleads Guilty to Federal Heroin Charge

Huntington, W.Va. – A Detroit woman is facing a federal prison sentence after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute heroin in the gritty streets of Huntington. Ebony Inez-Latee Johnson, 43, was caught with approximately 23 grams of heroin during a traffic stop on December 4, 2016, according to United States Attorney Carol Casto.

Johnson’s drug bust began when an officer with the Huntington Police Department stopped her vehicle at the intersection of 9th Avenue and 10th Street. Inside her jacket pocket, authorities found 43 individually wrapped bags of heroin, a clear sign that she intended to distribute the drug.

The grim details continued as Johnson admitted during her plea hearing that she had also been caught with a massive 124-gram heroin haul and 135 oxycodone tablets in Taylor, Michigan, on April 14, 2016. This revelation came from a trooper with the Michigan State Police who conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle.

Johnson’s sentencing date is July 31, 2017, where she faces up to 20 years in federal prison for her drug trafficking crimes.

The investigation was a collaborative effort between the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force, the Huntington Police Department, and the Michigan State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case, which was heard before Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

This case is part of an ongoing campaign by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to tackle prescription drug abuse and heroin misuse. The office, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, is dedicated to shutting down illegal pill trafficking and curbing the spread of drugs in communities across the district.

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