Meth Man Snyder Faces Decades in Federal Prison

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Dennis Wayne Snyder, 31, of Hurricane, West Virginia, is staring down a lengthy federal prison sentence after admitting to his role in a methamphetamine distribution scheme. Snyder pleaded guilty today, bringing him one step closer to facing the consequences for flooding West Virginia streets with the dangerous drug.

The bust went down November 15, 2020, when a West Virginia State Trooper pulled Snyder over at a Nitro gas station on an outstanding warrant. It wasn’t the warrant that sealed Snyder’s fate, however. A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 221 grams of methamphetamine stashed where Snyder had been sitting. Authorities also recovered digital scales and plastic bags – all the tools of a seasoned drug dealer.

Snyder copped a plea to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine. This isn’t a slap on the wrist charge; Snyder is looking at a minimum mandatory sentence of five years behind bars, with a potential maximum of forty years. Sentencing is scheduled for February 28, 2022, leaving Snyder with little time to contemplate his choices.

U.S. Attorney William S. Thompson announced the guilty plea, lauding the collaborative effort of multiple law enforcement agencies. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) spearheaded the investigation, backed by the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force. This task force is a coalition of officers from the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, Hurricane Police Department, and Marshall University Police Department, with additional support from the West Virginia State Police, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.

The investigation didn’t stop at state lines. The Ohio Highway Patrol, Kentucky State Police, and FBI/DEA offices in Columbus, Ohio, all contributed to bringing Snyder to justice. The case was overseen by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers, with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney L. Cremeans and Joseph F. Adams leading the prosecution.

This prosecution is part of a larger Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, a program dedicated to dismantling high-level drug trafficking organizations. OCDETF utilizes a multi-agency, intelligence-driven approach to target not just street-level dealers like Snyder, but the entire criminal network behind them. Those seeking further details can find a press release on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia or search for Case No. 3:21-cr-00109 on PACER.

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