William J. Ihlenfeld, II U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia
Three men appeared in federal court this week due to their involvement in a drug trafficking operation in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. James Kidder, also known as "Jamey," aged 47 from Martins Ferry, Ohio, received a sentence of 36 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. His criminal history includes domestic violence, assault, theft, drug trafficking, and burglary.
James Galloway, aged 28 from Bellaire, Ohio, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base. Matthew Clemont, aged 32 from Wheeling, West Virginia, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Court documents indicate that these individuals were distributors within a larger drug trafficking network stretching from Las Vegas, Nevada to the Ohio Valley. Kidder will undergo three years of supervised release following his prison term. Galloway and Clemont could face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine their sentences after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force; Marshall County Drug Task Force; Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; West Virginia State Police; Wheeling Police Department; Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and Belmont County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over the proceedings.
For more information on this case: www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-twenty-six-drug-trafficking
