Two Huntington Men, Fentanyl Cocaine Trafficking, West Virginia 2021

Huntington, W.Va. – Two men who participated in a drug ring and distributed various drugs in Huntington, West Virginia appeared today in federal court.

William Raeshaun Byrd, 31, of Huntington, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine. Christopher Leon Vest, 33, also of Huntington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. Vest faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on May 16, 2022.

According to the plea agreements and statements made in court, Byrd and Vest both admitted that they participated in the conspiracy from the summer of 2020 to July 2021. During the conspiracy, Byrd frequently received shipments of fentanyl and cocaine which were transported from Columbus, Ohio to Huntington by vehicle. For each shipment, Byrd received a minimum of 1 kilogram of fentanyl and 1 kilogram of cocaine.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force conducted the investigation. The Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force consists of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Cremeans are handling the prosecutions. The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF).

To date, seven defendants have been convicted as result of the investigation.

“Thanks to the excellent work of the FBI and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force, this drug ring was shut down,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “Byrd and Vest, who were distributing significant amounts of deadly drugs, will no longer be endangering the public.”

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