U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced that 25 people from four states were indicted by a grand jury in Elkins on 56 counts of violating drug trafficking laws at a press conference Tuesday.
An estimated 18-27 kilograms of narcotics, including cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, were distributed during the roughly two-year investigation, Powell said. Most of the distribution happened in, or around, Monongalia County, mostly in Morgantown.
The drug shipments often came from Texas via California, and the meth is believed to have originated in Mexico, Powell said.
He said this indictment is the third such against drug organizations operating in West Virginia in recent weeks.
“And let there be no mistake, these are organizations in the sense of a defined purpose and structure,” Powell said. “They apparently believe that we are a good market for their activities. They now also understand that significant risks come with drug trafficking in this district.”
Powell said law enforcement is focused on the “disruption and destruction” of drug trafficking organizations in West Virginia and will not stop dealing with the organizations head-on.
The majority of the 25 indicted have been arrested, Powell said.
“It’s through tremendous local, state and federal partnerships, and multi-jurisdictional collaboration that we were able to identify and target this Los Angeles-based supplier and the Houston-based drug distribution network that set up shop in Morgantown,” FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Michael Christman said.
The following were indicted:
- Anthony Allen, 34, of Rosenberg, Texas
- Johnnie Bradley, 37, of Houston, Texas
- Michael Alcendor, 19, of Houston, Texas
- James Pugh, 46, of Wheeling
- Jeffrey Howard, 23, of Houston, Texas
- Kedrick Howard, 27, of Dallas, Texas
- Leonard Jasmine, 28, Houston, Texas
- Sixto Marquez, 44, of Paramount, Calif.
- Francisco Chanes, 36, of Los Angeles, Calif.
- Aaliyah Snowden, 25, of Eastpointe, Mich.
- Roderick Bradley, 30, of Houston, Texas
- Kelsey McClung, 27, of Westover
- Robert Woody, 41, of Morgantown
- Tiffany Groves, 42, of Kingwood
- Sabrina Burton, 24, of Morgantown
- Skilor Perdue, 25, of Morgantown
- Loren Delaney, 29, of Morgantown
- Greg Snider, 61, of Bruceton Mills
- Morgan Janes, 23, of Morgantown
- Suzanne Adiyeh, 37, of Morgantown
- Antonio Buzzo, 25, of Maidsville
- David Gamble, 56, of Masontown
- Leslie O’Quinn, 30, of Houston, Texas
- Narkevia Lewis, 22, of Houston, Texas
- Ashley Johnson, 34, Morgantown
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