James Darnell Walker, Heroin Distribution, West Virginia 2014

Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Distribution

A 31-year-old Charleston man has pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin in a federal court in West Virginia.

James Darnell Walker was found to have sold heroin to a confidential informant working with law enforcement in Charleston on September 23, September 30, and October 11, 2014. He also had 600 individual packages of heroin in his possession that he intended to distribute on September 1, 2014.

The investigation was conducted by the Charleston Police Department and the West Virginia State Police. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecution.

United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., presided over the plea hearing. Sentencing is scheduled for June 24, 2015.

This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin.

The United States Attorney's Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/charleston-man-pleads-guilty-federal-court-distribution-heroin