ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A Woodsfield man on Monday received the longest sentence ever handed down in Belmont County for a drug-related crime.

Joshua Haslam, 41, of Woodsfield will spend at least 18 years in prison after he was convicted last month of first-degree felony possession of a fentanyl-related compound and second-degree felony trafficking in drugs.

The charges were related to an incident that occurred in Barnesville in May 2022.

Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter sentenced Haslam to a minimum of 11 years for the fentanyl charge and seven years for trafficking drugs. The terms will run consecutively for a total sentence of 18 to 23 1/2 years in prison, Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan confirmed.

“That is the highest penalty for a drug case in Belmont County,” Flanagan wrote in a text message. “We have had a few 14 year, a 15 and a 15.5 year sentence. No 18 year sentence.”

Haslam, whose last listed address in court records is the Belmont Correctional Institution, 68518 Bannock Road, St. Clairsville, was represented by attorneys Dante D’Andrea and Logan Graham. Haslam is already serving a sentence at the prison related to a separate incident in Monroe County.

In 2022, Barnesville police reportedly received “critical information” from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office that led to a search warrant for a Brill Street address.

Haslam was one of three people arrested as a result of that warrant, which uncovered “large amounts” of both fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Flanagan said Assistant Prosecutor Joe Vavra handled the case on behalf of the state. He commended Vavra and the Barnesville Police Department for their investigation and preparation of the case, noting they all put a lot of time and effort into the work.