Akron Man Sentenced to Prison for Transporting Methamphetamine into West Virginia

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – An Akron man was sentenced to prison today for a federal drug offense, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart. Sharief Rayshaun El-Amin, 25, was sentenced to 36 months in prison on a conviction for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Following his release from prison, El-Amin will serve five years of supervised release.

“Five pounds of meth and heroin, not to mention a gun. Too many poison peddlers have destroyed the lives of too many good West Virginians,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “We are working closely with and building unprecedented cooperation among all federal, state and local law enforcement teams to aggressively protect our citizens from the peddlers of these deadly drugs. Our citizens are our focus. We have their backs. The results are unprecedented in the history of West Virginia.”

El-Amin previously admitted that on May 27, 2019, he was driving a vehicle when it was pulled over along Interstate 77 in Jackson County. During the traffic stop, officers smelled the odor of marijuana and El-Amin gave conflicting stories as to where he was heading. A police K-9 was deployed on the vehicle and provided a positive indication for the presence of controlled substances. Officers located more than five pounds of methamphetamine, approximately one ounce of heroin and a loaded semi-automatic pistol in the trunk of the vehicle. El-Amin admitted that he was being paid $400 to drive the vehicle to Charleston from Akron. Although El-Amin did not load the vehicle or otherwise know the precise nature of what he was transporting, he admitted that he knew it to be some quantity of controlled substances. The methamphetamine was sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Mid-Atlantic Laboratory and found to be 96% pure.    

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted the investigation. United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe and former Assistant United States Attorney Ryan A. Saunders handled the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:19-cr-00210.