25 people indicted in drug trafficking operation that spanned several states

 MORGANTOWN, WEST VIRGINIA – Twenty-five people from four states are facing charges in a drug trafficking operation that dealt with methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

“This is the third major indictment announced in just the last few weeks here in the Northern District of West Virginia.  What they all have in common is the presence of out of state participants alleged to be part of a significant drug conspiracy.  We have dedicated law enforcement partners and aggressive prosecutors who will root out such activity in our district and enforce the law.  We have always believed that this type of effort is required to protect our communities.  To those thinking that they can come into our state and participate in these illegal activities without consequence, you are sadly mistaken. We will not stop, but I suggest that you do,” said Powell.

The 25 were named in a 56-count indictment handed down by a federal grand jury sitting in Elkins on October 20, 2020 on charges involving a drug distribution operation spanning California, Texas, and West Virginia. They are:

•    Anthony Allen, 34, of Rosenberg, Texas
•    Johnnie Bradley, 37, of Houston, Texas
•    Michael Alcendor, 19, of Houston, Texas
•    James Pugh, 46, of Wheeling, West Virginia
•    Jeffrey Howard, 23, of Houston, Texas
•    Kedrick Howard, 27, of Dallas, Texas
•    Leonard Jasmine, 28, Houston, Texas
•    Sixto Marquez, 44, of Paramount, California
•    Francisco Chanes, 36, of Los Angeles, California
•    Aaliyah Snowden, 25, of Eastpointe, Michigan
•    Roderick Bradley, 30, of Houston, Texas
•    Kelsey McClung, 27, of Westover, West Virginia
•    Robert Woody, 41, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Tiffany Groves, 42, of Kingwood, West Virginia
•    Sabrina Burton, 24, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Skilor Perdue, 25, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Loren Delaney, 29, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Greg Snider, 61, of Bruceton Mills, West Virginia
•    Morgan Janes, 23, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Suzanne Adiyeh, 37, of Morgantown, West Virginia
•    Antonio Buzzo, 25, of Maidsville, West Virginia
•    David Gamble, 56, of Masontown, West Virginia
•    Leslie O’Quinn, 30, of Houston, Texas
•    Narkevia Lewis, 22, of Houston, Texas
•    Ashley Johnson, 34, Morgantown, West Virginia

The crimes are alleged to have occurred in Monongalia County and elsewhere from the spring of 2018 to October 2020.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zelda E. Wesley and Sarah E. Wagner are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The FBI's Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.  The Task Forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff's Office; and, the Morgantown, WVU, Granville and Star City Police Departments.  The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners:  the  Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston, Texas; the Houston Police Department's Multi Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and, the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles, California.

These charges are the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.