Three individuals have been sentenced to federal prison for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced on Apr. 20.
The sentencing addresses ongoing concerns about drug trafficking and its impact on community safety in northern West Virginia. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia prosecutes federal crimes and manages civil litigation on behalf of the United States, according to the official website.
Demarkco Canty, 23, from Parkville, Maryland, received a sentence of 115 months for his role as a delivery man in an organization that distributed approximately 200,000 lethal doses of fentanyl and heroin across Hampshire and Mineral Counties. The leader of this group, Sean Jarred Davis from Baltimore, was previously sentenced to 240 months in December 2024. In total, twenty other defendants were convicted and collectively received sentences amounting to forty-one years in prison.
In a separate case related to methamphetamine distribution in Hampshire County, James Shanholtz of Springfield was sentenced to ninety-two months while Gregory Brian Harrison of Romney received twenty-four months.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher with investigations conducted by several agencies including the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative), Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, state police departments and local sheriff’s offices.
Fentanyl has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction due to its high lethality even at trace levels. This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations nationwide.
The U.S. Attorney’s office promotes community safety through outreach programs such as Project Safe Neighborhoods and works with law enforcement partners throughout thirty-two counties via staffed offices located in Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins, and Martinsburg according to the official website.
