Detroit Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison for Federal Drug Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Darnell Marice McCarver, also known as "WAP," 19, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture. McCarver admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 27, 2025, McCarver arranged the sale of approximately 63.5 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. As part of his guilty plea, McCarver admitted that he communicated with the confidential informant while he was in Detroit via a FaceTime video call, and that he directed the confidential informant to a Huntington, West Virginia, residence where another individual conducted the transaction with the confidential informant. McCarver also admitted that he coordinated the distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl on multiple occasions between April 2025 and August 2025.

On September 10, 2025, law enforcement officers arrested McCarver and executed a search warrant at his Detroit residence. Officers seized approximately $4,479 from McCarver's person and approximately 950 grams of methamphetamine, 48 grams of fentanyl, four firearms, and $8,764 at the residence during the search. McCarver admitted that he stored drugs at his residence for distribution in the Southern District of West Virginia and elsewhere, that he possessed and intended to distribute the seized methamphetamine and fentanyl, and that the seized cash was proceeds from drug distributions.

McCarver is among 10 defendants indicted on charges alleging they participated in the DTO. McCarver and four co-defendants pleaded guilty. The charges against the other defendants remain pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, the Mason County Sheriff's Office, and the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Finney prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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 PACERLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-154.

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