Lurduea Appling, a 37-year-old Detroit man, has been brought to justice for his role in the devastating opioid epidemic plaguing West Virginia.
According to a plea agreement, Appling pleaded guilty to distribution of oxycodone, a highly addictive painkiller that has ravaged communities across the country.
On March 20, 2017, agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in Ona used a confidential informant to make a controlled buy of oxycodone from Appling.
The drug deal took place at 1342 15th Street in Huntington, with Appling providing the informant with oxycodone in exchange for $3,750 in cash.
As part of the plea agreement, Appling admitted to all the drug trafficking activity charged in the indictment, including the March 2017 incident. He now faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on January 16, 2018.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the West Virginia State Police BCI in Ona conducted the investigation, with Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie S. Taylor handling the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers.
This prosecution is part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of opiate painkillers and heroin in communities across the Southern District.
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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