Ralph Oliver Mayes, Jr., Aiding and Abetting Heroin Charge, West Virginia 2013

Heroin Trafficking Charges in West Virginia

A Michigan man has been charged with aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute heroin in West Virginia. Ralph Oliver Mayes, Jr., 36, of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, pleaded guilty to the charge in federal court.

According to the investigation, on January 9, 2013, officers with the Barboursville Police arrested Mayes for obstructing and possession of Vicodin tablets. Following his arrest, Mayes was transported to the Barboursville Police Department. During a custodial search of the defendant, police found two bags containing 33 individually wrapped bags of a substance that field tested positive for heroin.

Mayes admitted that each bag contained approximately .1 grams of heroin and intended to sell the heroin. The Barboursville Police Department and the Huntington Violent Crimes and Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Gregory McVey is in charge of the prosecution.

The case was 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. 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 in communities across the Southern District.

Mayes faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on June 17, 2013, by Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.

The guilty plea is a significant blow to the heroin trafficking ring in West Virginia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle these operations, bringing justice to the victims and their families.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/michigan-man-pleads-guilty-federal-heroin-charge