MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – In a severe blow to the methamphetamine trade in West Virginia, four men have been sentenced to a combined 116 months of incarceration for their roles in a methamphetamine conspiracy. United States Attorney Bill Powell announced the sentences today.
Corey Bircher, 26, from Elk Garden, was handed down a 37-month sentence after admitting to possessing a .357 revolver during a February 2018 distribution crime in Mineral County. Bircher pled guilty to one count of “Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime” in February 2019.
Steve William Gray, 39, from Luray, Virginia, was sentenced to 18 months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. His admission involved conspiring with others between August 2017 and June 2018 across Mineral, Hardy, and Hampshire Counties.
Tyler Allen Whitacre, 25, also of Elk Garden, received a 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to distributing methamphetamine in January 2018 in Mineral County. His plea was for one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine” from March 2019.
Joseph Nathaniel Hagan, 36, from Petersburg, was sentenced to 46 months for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He admitted to distributing the substance in Hampshire County in January 2018 and faced charges under the same count in March 2019.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government, while the investigation was carried out by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), The West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force. Federal funding and coordination for the investigation were provided by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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