CHARLESTON, W.Va. – In a crackdown on illicit drug sales in West Virginia, three dealers have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in distributing heroin and prescription painkillers.
According to Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto, Terrance Dewayne Hayes, 30, of Welch, was sentenced to a year and four months in federal prison for distribution of heroin. Hayes previously pleaded guilty in February 2016, admitting that he distributed heroin to a confidential informant in Havaco in McDowell County on June 15, 2015.
Hayes’ sentence marks the beginning of a trio of harsh penalties handed down to dealers in the Mountain State. Keith Joseph Alfred, 43, of Princeton, was sentenced to eight months in federal prison for distribution of hydromorphone, while Stephen Wayne Steele, 42, of Bluefield, received six months in federal prison for the same crime.
Alfred pled guilty in January 2016, admitting that he distributed hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant in Bluewell in Mercer County on October 22, 2013. Steele previously pleaded guilty in February 2016, admitting that on April 7, 2015, he distributed hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant in Green Valley in Mercer County.
All three defendants were sentenced to three years of supervised release to be completed after their prison terms. The cases were investigated by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, with Assistant United States Attorney John File handling the prosecutions.
Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentences, bringing an end to a string of high-profile cases stemming from the Bluefield Pill Initiative. This ongoing effort aims to combat the illicit sale and misuse of prescription drugs and heroin in the region, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and law enforcement agencies vowing to aggressively pursue and shut down illegal pill trafficking.
The Bluefield Pill Initiative has made significant strides in recent years, with numerous dealers being brought to justice and charged with various crimes related to prescription painkiller abuse and heroin distribution.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to working closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat the scourge of opioid abuse and heroin trafficking in communities across the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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