BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that Keith Blakely, also known as “Bumpy,” 42, of New York, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute oxycodone, oxymorphone, and hydromorphone. Blakely was charged as a result of a long-term, multi-state investigation known as Operation X-Nation.
“Blakely had oxycodone, oxymorphone, hydromorphone, guns and cash,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart. “He’s the latest of a number of prescription pill dealers held accountable as a result of Operation X-Nation.”
Blakely admitted that between August 2017 and August 31, 2019, he participated in a drug trafficking organization that was operating in and around Princeton. He admitted that he had telephone conversations intercepted by law enforcement officers. During many of these conversations, he was discussing the distribution of controlled substances with other members of the drug trafficking operation, including the pricing and quantities of substances to be distributed. Blakely also admitted to making several drug distributions to informants that he now knows were cooperating with law enforcement officers. Lastly, he admitted that officers conducted a search on August 30, 2019 of the apartment he was living in near Bluefield. During the search officers found large quantities of oxymorphone, oxycodone, and hydromorphone pills that Blakely intended to distribute, along with three firearms, and approximately $69,962 in cash. As part of his plea agreement, he admitted that the cash was proceeds from his drug trafficking activity and further agreed to forfeit the cash and the firearms to the United States.
Blakely faces up to twenty years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1 million when he is sentenced on June 1, 2021. After serving a term of imprisonment, Blakely will serve at least three years of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which is composed of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the Princeton Police Department, and the Bluefield Police Department conducted the investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.
This case was brought under the Department of Justice’s 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.
A copy of this 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. 1:19-cr-00307.
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