⏱ 2 min read
A North Carolina man, Shawn Galin Whitley, Jr., 35, of Charlotte, was caught distributing a large quantity of fentanyl in West Virginia after a traffic stop in Lewis County. The stop led to a search of Whitley’s hotel room, where investigators found approximately 3,750 fentanyl stamps. Whitley was removed from his car during the stop, and deputies discovered $2,040 in cash and five fentanyl stamps in his pocket. The traffic stop was made by a Lewis County Sheriff’s Deputy, and the subsequent search was conducted by the Mountain Region Drug Task Force.
Hotel security footage showed Whitley wearing a backpack containing the fentanyl stamps shortly before police arrived. The investigation led to Whitley’s sentencing to 48 months in prison. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner and presided over by Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh.
Fentanyl has been designated as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality, posing a grave threat to public safety even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The sentencing of Whitley marks a significant step in the fight against fentanyl trafficking in West Virginia. The Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, played a crucial role in the investigation and arrest of Whitley.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: West Virginia
- Location: WV
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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