Rebecca Mae Blake, Cocaine Distribution, West Virginia 2023

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – In a major blow to the city's underworld, Rebecca Mae Blake, a 41-year-old Wheeling woman, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for cocaine distribution.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Blake sold crack cocaine from her home on Fulton Street in Wheeling. Blake pled guilty to the charge earlier this year in connection to a larger drug operation in Ohio County led by Rocco Pandoli, also of Wheeling.

Blake has multiple prior felony drug convictions, to include a conviction in federal court for cocaine distribution in 2005, and three convictions in Ohio County (W.Va.) Circuit Court in 2017, also for cocaine distribution.

Pandoli was convicted earlier this year and sentenced to 51 months in prison.

The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.

Blake's five-year sentence is a harsh penalty for her involvement in the cocaine trafficking ring. Her multiple prior convictions and involvement in a larger operation were key factors in the judge's decision.

The case highlights the ongoing struggle against organized crime in the region. The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force's efforts to disrupt and dismantle these operations are crucial in keeping the community safe.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/wheeling-woman-sentenced-five-years-cocaine-trafficking