Charleston streets lost one more dealer today as 27-year-old Terrance Wilson was sentenced to 54 months in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine — followed by another 18 months tacked on for violating his supervised release. The back-to-back sentences, handed down by U.S. District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., mean Wilson will serve over five and a half years behind bars with no chance of early release.
Wilson, already under federal supervision, thought he could slide back into the drug trade. He couldn’t have been more wrong. On three consecutive days — January 25, 26, and 27, 2016 — Wilson sold crack to a confidential informant near a business on Bigley Avenue in Charleston. Each transaction was monitored by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, which built a case so tight Wilson had no choice but to plead guilty.
The deals weren’t isolated slip-ups. They were deliberate violations of the court’s trust. Wilson’s original supervised release was meant to keep him out of trouble — not give him cover to flood neighborhoods with crack. His decision to deal again lit a fuse that ended with consecutive prison time, ensuring he’ll be off the streets for years.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy D. Boggess, who prosecuted the case, made no exceptions in court. “This is exactly the behavior we’re targeting,” Boggess said after the hearing. “People on supervision who turn right back to dealing are fueling the violence and addiction tearing through our communities.”
The prosecution is part of a broader crackdown by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, which has made dismantling drug networks a top priority. With support from federal, state, and local agencies, they’re targeting open-air markets, pill mills, and repeat offenders like Wilson who think they’re off the radar.
Wilson’s conviction sends a message: violate your release and deal drugs, and the feds will come harder. For now, the Bigley Avenue corner where he operated sits quiet — but the fight against the city’s drug trade is far from over.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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