MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — Michael Anthony McIntosh, 47, known on the streets as ‘Lo’ and ‘Polo,’ is headed to federal prison for a decade after admitting to pushing crack cocaine in Berkeley County. The Hagerstown, Maryland man was sentenced today to 120 months behind bars, closing a chapter on a drug case that began nearly a decade ago, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell confirmed.
McIntosh pleaded guilty in October 2017 to one count of ‘Distribution of Cocaine Base’—the legal term for crack cocaine—a charge stemming from a sale he made in November 2013. The transaction occurred in a region that has long battled an opioid and stimulant surge, with out-of-state dealers like McIntosh exploiting demand across the Eastern Panhandle.
Records show the deal that sealed McIntosh’s fate was caught in a broader sweep by the Eastern Panhandle Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, a HIDTA-funded federal-state fusion unit targeting high-impact traffickers. Agents used surveillance, informant testimony, and controlled buys to build the case, law enforcement sources said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara K. Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case, pushing for the full 10-year sentence under federal sentencing guidelines. She emphasized McIntosh’s role not as a low-level user, but as a conscious supplier feeding addiction in vulnerable communities.
Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh, presiding in Martinsburg, handed down the sentence without deviation from the guideline range. No fines were imposed beyond standard court fees, but McIntosh will face supervised release upon completion of his prison term.
The case underscores the DOJ’s continued focus on interdiction and prosecution of drug traffickers crossing state lines into West Virginia, where per-capita overdose rates remain among the highest in the nation. McIntosh is currently in federal custody and will be assigned to a Bureau of Prisons facility within the coming weeks.
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- Maryland Man Guilty of Heroin Sales in Berkeley County · Maryland
- Maryland Woman Admits Cocaine Sales in West Virginia · Maryland
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- MD Woman Funneled Drug Money to Dominican Republic · Maryland
Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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