WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - John M. Talkington, of New Martinsville, West Virginia, and Miranda Stewart, of Sistersville, West Virginia, have admitted to their roles in a methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin distribution operation that spanned multiple states, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.
Talkington, age 29, and Stewart, age 23, each pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances." Talkington and Stewart admitted to conspiring with others to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, and cocaine base from 2016 to April 2018 in Wetzel County, parts of the southern district of West Virginia, Ohio, and Georgia.
Talkington and Stewart each face up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 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. Attorneys Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., and Shawn M. Adkins are prosecuting 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.
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 James E. Seibert presided.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
