Erick Lamont Stanback Singleton, Heroin Distribution, West Virginia 2020

A brazen heroin operation in Wheeling, West Virginia, has been brought to a close with the sentencing of Erick Lamont Stanback Singleton, also known as 'Gotti,' to 41 months of incarceration.

Singleton, age 26, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty in January 2021 to one count of 'Distribution of Heroin within 1000 feet of a Protected Location.'

The charges stem from Singleton's admission to selling heroin near Madison Elementary School on Wheeling Island in February 2020.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shawn M. Adkins and Clayton J. Reid prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Ohio Valley Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, West Virginia State Police, Ohio County Sheriff’s Office, and the Wheeling Police Department, investigated.

The U.S. Marshal Service, Columbus Police Department Gang Crimes Unit, the Martins Ferry Police Department, and the Bellaire Police Department also assisted with the investigation.

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided over the case.

The sentencing brings an end to a lengthy investigation into the heroin operation, which was funded by a HIDTA grant.

Singleton's prison sentence is a significant blow to the heroin trade in the Wheeling area, and serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of heroin on communities.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/ohio-man-sentenced-selling-heroin