Charleston Man Admits Meth House Operation

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Another player fell in West Virginia’s endless drug war today as Mark Bays, 53, of South Charleston, admitted guilt in federal court. Bays pleaded guilty to maintaining a residence specifically for the distribution of methamphetamine, a charge carrying a hefty potential sentence.

According to court documents, Bays wasn’t operating alone. From late 2013 through at least March 2014, Bays, along with co-defendant Joseph Cooper and others, funneled methamphetamine shipments from California directly into his Charleston residence. This wasn’t just a storage location; it was a full-blown distribution hub. Cooper, a part-time resident of the property, worked alongside Bays to push the drugs onto the streets.

This conviction is just one piece of a larger federal crackdown. Cooper previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and is facing a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years behind bars, with sentencing set for January 19, 2017. The net is tightening around the entire operation. Benjamin Childers, implicated in the conspiracy, faces an even steeper penalty: a minimum of 10 years and potentially life in prison, with sentencing scheduled for January 4, 2017.

The scope of the drug ring extends beyond these three. Four additional co-defendants – Morgan Light, Mark Cobb, Harold Lee Parsons, and Shayne Shamblen – have also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Each faces up to 20 years in federal prison when they are sentenced in February 2017. This wasn’t a small-time operation; it was a coordinated effort to flood the streets with a dangerous and destructive drug.

The investigation, a collaborative effort between the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, and Homeland Security Investigations, demonstrates a concerted push to dismantle drug trafficking networks in the Southern District of West Virginia. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn is leading the prosecution, and United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. is presiding over the cases.

United States Attorney Carol Casto’s office has made it clear: this is part of an ongoing, aggressive campaign to combat the illicit drug trade. They are targeting not just street-level dealers, but the entire supply chain, from the source to the user. Bays faces up to five years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for March 21, 2017, but the message is clear – dealing in methamphetamine in West Virginia carries severe consequences.

RELATED: Texas Meth Runner Gonzales Admits Guilt