Salt Rock Man Sentenced to Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Today, Thomas Shane Holland, 54, of Salt Rock, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine. Holland admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.<_o3a_p>

According to court documents and statements made in court, Holland admitted to buying approximately 16 grams of methamphetamine from DTO ringleader Derrell Cashawn Massey outside a Huntington gas station on October 18, 2023. Holland further admitted to arranging the transaction with Massey beforehand by phone. Following the transaction, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Holland was a passenger. Officers found the methamphetamine in a container beside Holland in the vehicle during the traffic stop. Holland admitted that he intended to distribute the 16 grams of methamphetamine.<_o3a_p>

Holland and Massey are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.<_o3a_p>

Massey, also known as "Rell" and "Fat Rell," 34, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on April 22, 2024, to the distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and awaits sentencing. Holland and Massey are among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.<_o3a_p>

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff's Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.<_o3a_p>

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.<_o3a_p>

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice's drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.<_o3a_p>

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. 3:23-cr-180.<_o3a_p>