Four West Virginia residents are behind bars after pleading guilty to roles in a sprawling oxycodone distribution network that flooded Monongalia County with pills between 2015 and 2017. Federal prosecutors secured combined sentences totaling 73 months, exposing a local web of drug sales, firearm use, and criminal coordination facilitated by cell phones and street-level deals.
Floyd Pancoast, 24, of Pursglove, West Virginia, was sentenced to 10 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of ‘Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.’ Court records show Pancoast admitted to using a telephone to coordinate oxycodone distribution in Monongalia County in February 2017. His role, though not the longest sentence, was a linchpin in the operation’s logistics.
Jason Pancoast, 23, also of Pursglove, received an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty to ‘Use of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Offense.’ In March 2017, he admitted to possessing and using a pistol in connection with drug trafficking. The firearm charge triggered enhanced penalties under federal law, ratcheting up the stakes in a case already steeped in danger.
Leon Jamar Maddox, 35, of Fairmont, was handed a 37-month sentence after pleading guilty to ‘Distribution of Oxycodone.’ His criminal activity dates back to September 2015, marking him as one of the earliest actors in the ring. Authorities say the flow of pills he facilitated contributed to a spike in opioid dependency and overdoses in the region.
Amanda Maddox, 33, of Morgantown, was sentenced to eight months after admitting to using a phone to assist in distributing oxycodone in March 2017. Her guilty plea to ‘Unlawful Use of Communication Facility’ underscores how even peripheral involvement in drug networks carries serious federal time. Investigators say phones were the connective tissue binding this crew together.
The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley and investigated by the Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. Backed by federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF) funding, the probe dismantled a local but potent drug ring. Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided over all sentencing hearings in Clarksburg, West Virginia.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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