Lincoln County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Lincoln County man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime.  

According to court documents, the South Charleston Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle in which Bert Tackett, 56, of Alkol, was a passenger on February 8, 2021.  Tackett possessed approximately 117 grams of a mixture/substance containing fentanyl and 41.989 grams of methamphetamine and admitted that he intended to distribute the controlled substances.  Law enforcement officers also recovered a Bersa Thunder 9mm handgun from inside the vehicle.  When officers arrested Tackett at his Alkol residence on June 15, 2021, they found two bags of suspected fentanyl weighing approximately 31.123 grams and 1.244 grams, a bag of suspected methamphetamine weighing approximately 27.238 grams and two loaded firearms inside his residence.

Tackett pleaded guilty to a single-count indictment charging him with possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and five grams or more of methamphetamine. He faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison when sentenced on November 3, 2021.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the excellent investigative work of the South Charleston Police Department, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the U.S. Marshals Service.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Nick Miller is handling the prosecution.