Heroin dealer faces at least 10 years

Staff report

CLEVELAND

A Warren man is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison after a jury convicted him Friday of having more than 2.2 pounds of heroin and illegally possessing two handguns, said David A. Sierleja, acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Ricardo B. McKinney, 31, will be sentenced at 2 p.m. July 19 by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher A. Boyko, who presided over the weeklong trial.

“This is a criminal who does not belong on the streets of Warren or anywhere else,” Sierleja said. “The amount of deadly drugs he had, and the fact that he’s a felon with firearms, demonstrates that prison is the proper place for this defendant,” he added.

“I would like to thank the Warren Street Crimes Unit for all the hard work that was put into this case and their dedication to removing from our streets a drug that has killed so many in our city. I would also like to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case. This partnership is an essential element in our mission to eliminate drug traffickers from our community,” said Warren Police Chief Eric Merkel.

A jury convicted McKinney on two counts of heroin distribution, one count of possession with intent to distribute 2.2 pounds or more of heroin and one count of being a felon in possession of firearms.

McKinney sold heroin on two occasions in early 2015.

Warren police arrested McKinney on Feb. 25, 2015, when they found about 3.6 pounds of heroin, with a street value of about $250,000, and the two handguns in his North Road residence.

McKinney was prohibited from having a firearm because of prior felony convictions, according to court documents and trial testimony. He will forfeit $31,288 and the two guns seized in the investigation.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Warren police.