Lamar Baxter, Drug Deal Arrangement, Bluefield WV, 2014

Bluefield, W.Va. – A grim tale of drug dealing unfolds as Lamar Baxter, 39, from Princeton, West Virginia, has entered a guilty plea before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber in federal court in Bluefield.

Baxter, accused of arranging and executing a drug deal, admitted to using a telephone on November 11, 2014, to contact an informant and set up the illegal transaction. In a chilling twist, Baxter then sold seven oxycodone pills to the confidential source.

The defendant now faces a daunting sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison and a staggering fine of $1,000,000 when he is sentenced on June 25, 2015.

Investigation into Baxter’s illegal activities was led by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney John File is prosecuting the case under the Bluefield Pill Initiative, an ongoing campaign to combat prescription drug abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.

This initiative, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, collaborates with federal, state, and local law enforcement to clamp down on drug trafficking, extinguish open-air drug markets, and curb the proliferation of opiate painkillers and heroin within affected communities.

As Baxter’s case highlights, the Southern District of West Virginia remains committed to a relentless pursuit of justice in the fight against illegal drug activity.