Joshua Willie McCarver, 28, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to a leading role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington, West Virginia, area. McCarver admitted to the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, acknowledging his central involvement in the illicit operation.
Court documents reveal that on June 5, 2025, McCarver sold approximately 112 grams of methamphetamine for $650 to a confidential informant in Huntington, a transaction he arranged and directed. Between January and August 2025, he managed communications for himself and co-conspirators, directing drug buyers to various sellers based on their history and location. He completed six drug sales to a confidential informant during this period.
Further evidence presented included two separate traffic stops in March and July 2025, where Ohio law enforcement seized a total of over $51,000 in cash from vehicles McCarver was traveling in between Huntington and Detroit. He admitted these funds were proceeds from fentanyl distribution. On September 10, 2025, a search warrant at a Huntington address linked to the conspiracy uncovered approximately 4.29 kilograms of methamphetamine, 337 grams of fentanyl, a loaded .38-caliber pistol, and ammunition, which McCarver admitted he jointly possessed with intent to distribute.
McCarver is scheduled for sentencing on October 13, 2026, facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, along with a fine of up to $10 million. He admitted to an aggravating role as an organizer or leader in the conspiracy. United States Attorney Moore Capito emphasized, "This defendant wasn’t a street-level dealer — he was a leader in a drug trafficking organization that flooded Huntington with methamphetamine while profiting from the addiction and misery of others." McCarver has a prior 2018 federal conviction for fentanyl distribution.
This case, part of the nationwide "Operation Take Back America" initiative, involved investigative work by the FBI, DEA, Cabell County Sheriff's Office, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and Huntington Police Department.