Emariel Kanay Tyler, a 20-year-old from Akron, Ohio, received a sentence of one year and six months in prison for her involvement in a federal drug crime. The sentence includes an additional year of supervised release. Tyler was charged with using a communication facility to aid in drug trafficking.
Court documents reveal that on March 29, 2023, Tyler traveled via rideshare from Charleston to Wyoming County with methamphetamine and fentanyl. She admitted to arranging the sale of fentanyl through her cell phone, coordinating the meeting place and pricing details. Although she conducted the transaction at the designated location, Tyler returned to Charleston with both the payment and the fentanyl.
Upon returning to Charleston, Tyler encountered law enforcement executing a search warrant at an apartment where her boyfriend, Terric Zaire Williams, was staying. Officers noticed a firearm outline in her pants and found cash and suspected drugs protruding from her jacket pockets, leading to her arrest.
During the apartment search, officers discovered three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine hidden in various locations. Williams, also from Akron and aged 25, was sentenced on February 27, 2025. He received six years in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine.
The announcement came from Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston who praised the investigative efforts of the Charleston Police Department. Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver Jr. delivered Tyler's sentence while Assistant United States Attorney Lesley C. Shamblin prosecuted the case.
Further details can be accessed through related court documents available on PACER under Case No. 2:24-cr-186.