HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man was sentenced today to three years and 10 months in federal prison for a drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Arthur James Canada, 25, previously pleaded guilty to using a phone to facilitate a felony drug offense.
Canada admitted that from February 2016 to May 2016, he conspired with other individuals to distribute marijuana that had been transported from California. Members of the conspiracy were also involved in the distribution of other controlled substances, including heroin, crack, and pain pills. During the conspiracy, Canada further admitted to receiving marijuana that he sold in the Huntington area. On March 28, 2016, he placed a call to a co-conspirator that was intercepted by law enforcement. During the call, Canada and the co-conspirator discussed the price at which to sell a certain type of marijuana. As part of the plea agreement, Canada agreed to forfeit approximately $181,490 seized by law enforcement during the investigation.
These prosecutions arose out of a long-term investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the West Virginia State Police, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, the Huntington Police Department, the Huntington FBI Drug Task Force, the Ohio Highway Patrol, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, which resulted in charging 12 defendants for offenses related to the distribution of heroin, crack, marijuana and alprazolam in Huntington.
Four other defendants have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in this drug ring. Matthew Michael Meadows, Tanisha Lynette Wooding, Parker Wyatt Mays, and Corey Bruce Toney have all pleaded guilty to federal drug charges and are awaiting sentencing. All of the other defendants charged in the prosecution of this drug ring are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is in charge of the prosecutions. Chief United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence.
These cases are 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 illegal drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.
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