Darnell Marice McCarver, also known as “WAP,” a 19-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, has pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the distribution of 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture. The plea was entered on January 6, 2026. McCarver admitted to participating in a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in Huntington, West Virginia.
Court documents show that on August 27, 2025, McCarver arranged for the sale of about 63.5 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant. He communicated with the informant via FaceTime from Detroit and directed them to a residence in Huntington where another individual completed the transaction. Between April and August 2025, McCarver coordinated multiple distributions of methamphetamine and fentanyl.
On September 10, 2025, law enforcement arrested McCarver at his Detroit home and executed a search warrant. Officers seized $4,479 from him personally as well as approximately 950 grams of methamphetamine, 48 grams of fentanyl, four firearms, and $8,764 at his residence. McCarver admitted he stored drugs at his home for distribution in West Virginia and elsewhere and that the cash came from drug sales.
McCarver is scheduled for sentencing on April 13, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and up to forty years if convicted. He could also receive at least four years of supervised release and be fined up to $5 million.
McCarver is one of ten defendants indicted for alleged participation in this drug trafficking organization; he and two others have pleaded guilty while charges against other defendants are pending. Authorities remind the public that an indictment is an allegation only: “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 praised the work done by federal agents from the FBI and DEA as well as local officers from Cabell County Sheriff’s Office, Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and Huntington Police Department: “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.”
The hearing was presided over by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers with Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney prosecuting.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative aimed at using Department of Justice resources to combat illegal immigration networks as well as transnational criminal organizations involved in violent crime.
Additional information can be found through PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-154.
