Kimberly Dawn Legg, Methamphetamine Trafficking, West Virginia 2024

Charleston Woman Sentenced to Prison for Methamphetamine Trafficking

A Charleston woman has been sentenced to prison for her role in a methamphetamine trafficking organization. Kimberly Dawn Legg, 49, of Charleston, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

The crime occurred in the months leading up to December 5, 2022, when Legg sold quantities of methamphetamine obtained from a supplier who delivered the drugs directly to her residence on Lotus Drive. According to court documents and statements made in court, Legg handled the money from the sales while her co-defendant, Larry Wayne Legg, typically weighed out the amounts.

The methamphetamine was supplied by a supplier who usually provided the drugs without requiring full payment, with the understanding that he would be paid from the sale proceeds. On December 4, 2022, the supplier delivered approximately 1 pound of methamphetamine to Legg's residence, which was later seized by law enforcement during a search warrant executed on December 5, 2022.

Larry Wayne Legg, 55, of Charleston, was previously sentenced to five years in prison on July 6, 2023, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Legg and Larry Wayne Legg are among 30 individuals indicted as part of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history.

Law enforcement seized over 200 pounds of methamphetamine, 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms, and $747,000 in cash. Eighteen defendants have pleaded guilty, with indictments against the remaining defendants pending. Legg's sentence was imposed by Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston, with Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, which was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The OCDETF program combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations and transnational criminal organizations that present a significant threat to public safety and national security.

The U.S. Attorney's Office commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug program, the Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office, and the Raleigh County Sheriff's Office.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/operation-smoke-and-mirrors-update-charleston-woman-sentenced-prison-role