Roy Bills, Marijuana Trafficking, West Virginia 2014

A Huntington man has become the sixth defendant to plead guilty in a sprawling multistate drug operation, admitting he helped funnel hundreds of pounds of marijuana into West Virginia from California. Roy Bills, 51, entered a guilty plea today to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, according to U.S. Attorney Carol Casto.

Between summer 2014 and May 2016, Bills conspired with Corey Bruce Toney, Parker Wyatt Mays, and others to flood the Huntington area with illicit marijuana. Toney and Mays regularly sourced bulk quantities from California, shipping them via courier or direct transport. Bills wasn’t just a middleman—he personally traveled to California at least twice to haul massive loads back to West Virginia.

In October 2015, Bills transported 100 pounds of marijuana across state lines. Eight months later, in March 2016, he brought in another 80 pounds. Once back in Huntington, he handed the drugs directly to Toney for further distribution. The operation reeked of coordination and scale, stretching from the West Coast to the heart of Appalachia.

Bills now faces up to 5 years in federal prison. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on February 6, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Adams is leading the prosecutions, which stem from a sweeping investigation involving multiple law enforcement agencies.

The Drug Enforcement Administration spearheaded the probe, with critical support from the West Virginia State Police, Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, Huntington Police Department, Huntington FBI Drug Task Force, Ohio Highway Patrol, ATF, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The crackdown has so far led to charges against 12 individuals tied to the distribution of heroin, crack, marijuana, and alprazolam.

Five others have already pleaded guilty: Matthew Michael Meadows, Arthur James Canada, Tanisha Lynette Wooding, Mays, and Toney—all now awaiting sentencing. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. This case is part of a broader federal push to dismantle drug networks in the Southern District of West Virginia, where open-air markets and trafficking rings continue to fuel addiction and violence.

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