Two local residents have pleaded guilty to their roles in a large-scale methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking operation in the Southern District of West Virginia.
Charles Clinton Cordle, 65, of Ashland, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl. Cordle admitted to receiving approximately 14 grams of methamphetamine and 9 grams of fentanyl in the 2700 block of Highlawn Avenue in Huntington on October 23, 2023, after arranging the transaction via phone call.
A law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Cordle following the transaction and seized the methamphetamine and fentanyl. Cordle admitted that he intended to distribute the controlled substances. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Josie Irene Copley, 58, of Flatwoods, Kentucky, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl. On October 25, 2023, Copley purchased approximately 13.98 grams of fentanyl in Huntington from co-defendant Kyla Smith after calling Smith to arrange the transaction. Copley surrendered the fentanyl she had obtained from Smith during a traffic stop. Copley also admitted to possessing and intending to sell approximately 2.11 grams of methamphetamine. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2024, and faces the same penalties as Cordle.
Cordle and Copley are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. They are also among 19 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case.
United States Attorney Will Thompson commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service in this case.
The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking organizations.
Cordle and Copley’s sentencing hearings will be presided over by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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