Man gets 18 years in prison for Newport heroin ring

COVINGTON -- A Cincinnati man will spend at least 15 years in federal prison for his part in a heroin distribution ring that put the drug onto the streets of Newport, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.

Carlos Massengill, 45, has been sentenced to 220 months, or more than 18 years, in prison for conspiracy to distribute heroin. He must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence.

The ring put more than 100 grams of heroin onto the streets between April and July 2014, according to federal court records.

In December, Massengill and co-defendant Anquan Williams pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Covington. Williams was sentenced to 120 months in prison on April 2.

U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar enhanced Massengill's sentence because he has a lengthy criminal history, including multiple convictions in Hamilton County for drug trafficking.

The investigation into the heroin ring was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the Campbell County Drug Task Force.