Andrew Benson Faces Consequences for Role in West Virginia Drug Trafficking Operation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Andrew Benson, a 35-year-old man from Morgantown, West Virginia, has been sentenced to 16 months of incarceration for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard.

Benson, who pled guilty in April 2021 to one count of ‘Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine Base’, admitted to working with others to distribute the drugs from March 2018 to September 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided over the case.

The investigation and prosecution of this case highlight the ongoing efforts of law enforcement agencies to combat the scourge of drug trafficking in West Virginia and beyond. By working together, these agencies can disrupt and dismantle the networks that perpetuate this crime.

For more information on the charges and the investigation, visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia website.

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