WHEELING, W.Va. — An Ohio native will spend a decade in prison for his involvement with distributing drugs in the Mountain State.
Shawn Lemont McClain, 35, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced Monday to 120 months in prison for heroin trafficking
In imposing the ten year prison sentence –a significant upward variance from the applicable advisory sentencing guideline range– the court noted that McClain crossed state lines to create a drug trafficking operation that amounted to a business enterprise.
The court emphasized the necessity of the prison term by noting that McClain continued to sell heroin while on pretrial release.
After the Mountaineer Highway Interdiction Team discovered McClain in possession of heroin in Ohio County, West Virginia, he pleaded guilty in September 2014 to one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Bernard prosecuted the case on behalf of the government, while Chief U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.