Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl and Cocaine Conspiracy

William Raeshaun Byrd, 31, a resident of Huntington, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to his involvement in a large fentanyl and cocaine distribution ring operating in the Huntington area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Byrd admitted to participating in the conspiracy from the summer of 2020 to July 2021. During this time, he frequently received shipments of fentanyl and cocaine transported from Columbus, Ohio to Huntington by vehicle.

Byrd received a minimum of 1 kilogram of fentanyl and 1 kilogram of cocaine for each shipment, which he was to pay for after distributing them in Huntington. The drugs were provided to him on consignment and he operated two residences in Huntington as locations to accept the shipments and distribute the drugs.

Byrd was arrested on July 29, 2021, after a federal grand jury returned an indictment charging multiple individuals in the investigation. A search warrant was executed at his residence on that date, and law enforcement officers seized two firearms and over $113,000 in United States currency.

Byrd admitted to possessing the firearms and that the money constituted proceeds from drug sales. He faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison when he is sentenced on January 31, 2022.

United States Attorney William S. Thompson commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force, which consists of the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department.

The West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West provided investigative support to the task force. The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus also assisted in the investigation.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Drug Trafficking

Aslyn Thomas, Cocaine Possession with Intent to Distribute, U.S. Virgin Islands 2026

Apr 10, 2026

Drug Trafficking

Kendrick Williams, Fentanyl Distribution, Florida 2022

Oct 19, 2022

Drug Trafficking

Kathryn Nikole Russell, Prescription Drug Conspiracy, Tennessee 2020

Dec 11, 2020

Drug Trafficking

James Edward Sweat, Narcotics Operation and Firearms Stockpiling, North Carolina 2023

Mar 20, 2026