Mark Anderson Staples, Drug Trafficking, West Virginia 2024

A Beckley man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a drug trafficking organization.

Mark Anderson Staples, 53, of Beckley, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack.”

The conspiracy involved Staples obtaining methamphetamine from other individuals that he distributed to customers and provided to co-conspirators for further distribution. According to court documents and statements made in court, Staples provided at least 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine as part of the DTO conspiracy.

Staples is among 12 defendants indicted on charges alleging they conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024.

The remaining defendants pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate offenses in lieu of the offenses charged in the indictment.

United States Attorney Moore Capito commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.

Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess and Former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted 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.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/beckley-man-sentenced-prison-role-drug-trafficking-organization-2