Parkersburg Man Cops to Meth, Shrooms Haul

A Parkersburg man has admitted to trying to flood the Mid-Ohio Valley with nearly a kilo of methamphetamine, 19 pounds of marijuana, and a truckload of psychedelic candy bars shipped straight from California. Benjamin Michael Nash, 37, pleaded guilty today in federal court to attempting to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute — a move that could land him behind bars for up to 20 years.

Court records show Nash didn’t just dabble — he went all in. In July 2020, he traveled cross-country to California, where he bought 875 grams of methamphetamine, 50 boxes of psilocybin-laced candy bars, and 19 pounds of marijuana. The haul, worth tens of thousands on the street, was packed and shipped through the U.S. mail directly to his doorstep in Parkersburg, West Virginia.

But the plan unraveled fast. On August 8, 2020, a sharp-eyed U.S. Postal Service employee caught the unmistakable stench of marijuana wafting from the package. The alert triggered an immediate response. Federal investigators seized the parcel before delivery and executed a search warrant, uncovering the full illicit payload hidden in plain mail.

Nash didn’t deny it. During his plea hearing, he admitted he bought the drugs with the clear intention to distribute them across the region. The Southern District of West Virginia isn’t cutting corners on drug traffickers using the postal system as a pipeline — and Nash now faces the full weight of federal sentencing guidelines.

U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson announced the guilty plea, crediting the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Parkersburg Narcotics and Violent Crimes Task Force for intercepting the shipment. “When you use the mail to traffic poison,” Thompson said, “you’re not just breaking the law — you’re targeting communities.”

Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Hanks is prosecuting the case. Nash is scheduled for sentencing on February 24, 2022. Court documents are available via PACER under Case No. 2:21-cr-00194.

RELATED: Parkersburg Dealer Pleads Guilty to Meth Trafficking

RELATED: Ramsey Gets 46 Months for Gun & Threats to Cops