St. Albans Man Parsons Pleads Guilty to Meth Trafficking

Harold Lee Parsons III, a 40-year-old from St. Albans, has admitted to trafficking methamphetamine on a federal level, pleading guilty in Charleston, West Virginia. The guilty plea, entered today, exposes a regional drug network now unraveled by federal investigators.

On February 5, 2016, law enforcement raided Parsons’ home on 2nd Avenue in St. Albans. Present during the search, Parsons opened a safe that held 12 baggies containing approximately 330 grams of methamphetamine. He confessed to receiving the drugs from co-defendant Joseph Cooper and admitted his intent to distribute the narcotics.

Parsons now faces up to 20 years in federal prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 7, 2017, before United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. The quantity and packaging of the seized meth point to large-scale distribution, not personal use, federal prosecutors emphasize.

Joseph Cooper, who supplied Parsons, already pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He faces a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years in prison at his January 19, 2017 sentencing. Another key figure, Benjamin Childers, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and faces at least 10 years and up to life when sentenced on January 4, 2017.

Three additional defendants—Morgan Light, Mark Cobb, and Shayne Shamblen—pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Each faces up to 20 years in prison at their February 2, 2017 sentencing. The coordinated wave of convictions signals a major disruption in a regional drug pipeline.

The investigation was led by the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn is prosecuting the cases. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia continues its aggressive crackdown on illegal drug networks, vowing to dismantle trafficking operations and protect communities from the scourge of methamphetamine.