Four admit to roles in oxycodone distribution operation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three Detroit, Michigan residents and one West Virginia woman have admitted to their roles in a drug distribution operation, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Konshawntas Boyd, age 39, of Detroit, pled guilty to one count of “Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises.” Boyd, a nurse practitioner, admitted that she had an apartment located in Barrington North Apartments in Morgantown, West Virginia, for the purpose of distributing oxycodone from September 2016 to March 2017.

Devante Maddox, age 27, and Michael Wesley, also known as “Black” and “Big Flea,” age 47, each pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Oxycodone.” Maddox and Wesley admitted to selling oxycodone in January 2017 in Monongalia County.

Tiffany Edwards, age 37, of Westover, West Virginia, pled guilty to one count of “Money Laundering Conspiracy.” Edwards admitted to handling financial transactions that involved money made from the distribution of oxycodone from the summer of 2013 to June 2017 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.

Maddox and Wesley each face up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. Boyd and Edwards each face up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $500,000. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug and Violent Crime Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, led the investigation. The Task Force consists of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office, Morgantown Police Department, the Star City Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia University Police Department, the Granville Police Department, and the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.