Defendant Sentenced for Heroin Distribution in West Virginia

A Boone County man has been sentenced to a year and nine months in federal prison for his role in a heroin distribution scheme, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto.

Robert Donavan Buzzard, 42, of Bloomingrose, previously pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin. Buzzard admitted to selling heroin to a confidential informant on two occasions in January 2016 in Bloomingrose and Seth in Boone County.

This case is part of an ongoing effort to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin in the Southern District of West Virginia. 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.

Other defendants have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing as a result of this investigation, including Daymeon Johnson of Detroit, and Joyce Ann Zornes and Gregory Runion, both of Boone County. Christopher Priestley, of Boone County, was previously sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison for distribution of heroin.

The U.S. Route 119 Drug Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Joshua Hanks is in charge of the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin imposed the sentence and is presiding over these cases.

The Southern District of West Virginia is part of a larger effort to combat the opioid epidemic and reduce the spread of heroin and other illicit substances. This case is a reminder of the severity of the consequences for those involved in heroin distribution.

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