Tyrece Ramone Phillips, Fentanyl Conspiracy, West Virginia 2024

Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Conspiracy Charge

A Charleston man has pleaded guilty to a fentanyl conspiracy charge in federal court. Tyrece Ramone Phillips, 38, of Charleston, West Virginia, entered a plea of guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 3, 2024, law enforcement officers intercepted a United States Postal Service package addressed to Phillips' Charleston residence. Investigators obtained and executed a search warrant for the package, and found it contained approximately 572.2 grams of a substance containing fentanyl.

Investigators placed a sham substance in the seized package and conducted a controlled delivery of the package to Phillips' residence on October 4, 2024. Phillips took the package inside the residence after the controlled delivery. Investigators executed a search warrant at Phillips' residence and found Phillips with the sham substance from the package in his hands in an upstairs bathroom. Investigators also found a scale with residue and a large amount of cash in the residence during the search.

Phillips is scheduled to be sentenced on April 24, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Parker Bazzle II.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.

The investigation and prosecution of this case demonstrates the ongoing efforts of law enforcement to combat the opioid epidemic and hold individuals accountable for their role in it.

A copy of the press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-177.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdwv/pr/charleston-man-pleads-guilty-fentanyl-crime-3