Columbus men sentenced to more than 100 years for their roles in a drug distribution operation that spanned three states

 WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA –Rodriquies M. Evans and Cedric L. Douglas, both of Columbus, Ohio, were sentenced to a combined 104 years in prison today for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution operation that spanned multiple states, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.

Evans, also known as “Dree”, age 30, was sentenced today to 960 months of incarceration. Douglas, age 32, was sentenced today to 296 months of incarceration. In October 2020, a jury found Evans and Douglas each guilty of one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances,” two counts of “Distribution of Methamphetamine,” and one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” The crimes took place in Wetzel County and elsewhere, including the Southern District of West Virginia, Ohio, and Georgia from July 2015 to April 2018.

“Methamphetamine, particularly crystal methamphetamine, has become a tremendous challenge for the Northern District of West Virginia and the entire Nation.  It destroys lives and communities.  The sentences handed down today should send a clear message to those who want to sell drugs in the Mountain State. If you bring illegal substances to West Virginia and prey on our neighbors, you will face substantial federal time,” said Bernard.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn M. Adkins prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol; Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Marshall County Drug and Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office; the Wetzel County Sheriff’s Office; the Sistersville Police Department; the Paden City Police Department; and the New Martinsville Police Department investigated. The Columbus, Ohio Police Department Gang Crimes Unit assisted in the case. 

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided.