Joseph W. Melbar, Oxycodone Possession with Intent to Distribute, West Virginia 2017

Joseph W. Melbar, 54, of Huntington, West Virginia, pleaded guilty today to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute oxycodone, a high-stakes move in a federal pill mill scheme that flooded the streets with prescription painkillers. The plea, entered before U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers, marks a key break in a long-running investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and West Virginia State Police.

On September 15, 2017, Melbar orchestrated a clandestine drug deal with a confidential informant, arranging to trade 500 oxycodone pills for $20,000 in cash at his Collis Avenue residence. Inside the home, the informant met with Melbar, codefendant Curtis Holcomb, and another unidentified accomplice to finalize the transaction. After negotiations, the co-defendants left to retrieve the pills, believing they were operating under the radar.

They weren’t. As the pair returned, a West Virginia State Police trooper pulled over their vehicle on Artisan Avenue. A search revealed 454 thirty mg oxycodone tablets hidden in Holcomb’s sock. The bust ripped open the conspiracy, exposing a network of pill distribution feeding addiction and violence in Huntington’s struggling neighborhoods.

U.S. Attorney Mike Stuart didn’t mince words: “Getting pain pills off the streets of Huntington and holding drug criminals accountable is a top priority for me and my office,” he said. “We are going to continue working with law enforcement to make sure that those who prey on the citizens of Huntington face serious hard time behind bars.” The Southern District of West Virginia has made pill trafficking a central target in its war on opioids.

Now, Melbar faces up to 20 years in federal prison when sentenced on May 29, 2018. Holcomb, who previously pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute, faces the same maximum penalty at his May 7, 2018, sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Joseph F. Adams is prosecuting the case, which falls under a broader DOJ initiative to dismantle prescription drug rings across Appalachia.

This conviction is more than a legal win—it’s a warning. Federal and state agencies are tightening their grip on pill traffickers exploiting the opioid crisis. For the communities of southern West Virginia, every busted deal means fewer pills in circulation and one less predator profiting from addiction.

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