Boone County Man Pleads Guilty to Heroin Conspiracy

Ashford, West Virginia resident James Harry Barker, 63, has pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute heroin in and around Boone County, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin.

In June of 2013, the U.S. 119 Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at Barker’s home and a bar he operated called “Firebug’s,” both located in Ashford. Officers seized cash and evidence of drug distribution such as drug packing materials.

Barker admitted that he sold several hundred heroin “stamps” in the Boone County area from the summer of 2012 through the summer of 2013. He also admitted that the money seized from his home and business came from drug sales.

Barker faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on August 6, 2014.

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 U.S. 119 Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn is in charge of the prosecution.

Barker’s guilty plea is a significant blow to the heroin trade in Boone County, and a testament to the hard work and dedication of law enforcement agencies in the region.

The U.S. 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.

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