Dailen Isaiah Defoe, Fentanyl Distribution, West Virginia 2023

A Princeton man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking operation in West Virginia. Dailen Isaiah Defoe, 21, was sentenced to 9 years in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.

The sentence was handed down by Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber in the Southern District of West Virginia. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on December 8, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a Bluefield residence where Defoe and co-defendant Malachi Damonte Cooper were staying. Officers found 734 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 130 grams of fentanyl, digital scales, a money counter, a Micro Draco 7.62mm semi-automatic pistol, a Glock 9mm pistol loaded with a 30-round magazine, and over $23,000.

Defoe and Cooper admitted that they possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them. Defoe further admitted to selling a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Princeton on August 19, 2021, and on August 23 and August 31, 2021.

On August 31, 2022, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a residence where Defoe was staying in Princeton. Officers found approximately 375 grams of methamphetamine, 774 grams of fentanyl, 13 grams of heroin, three semi-automatic handguns, two drum magazines, various other firearm magazines and ammunition, and several thousand dollars.

Defoe admitted that he possessed the controlled substances and intended to distribute them. Co-defendant Malachi Damonte Cooper, 22, of Princeton, was sentenced on March 4, 2024, to 8 years in prison, to be followed by 4 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The task force consists of members of the West Virginia State Police, the Bluefield Police Department, the Princeton Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/princeton-man-sentenced-prison-fentanyl-crime