Four individuals have been sentenced in connection with a drug trafficking conspiracy in West Virginia's Berkeley, Morgan, and Hampshire Counties. This follows the 2023 indictments of 26 people involved in a drug trafficking organization headed by Dorian Scott Burks and Andrew Ross Hose. According to court records, the group trafficked methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine, leading to the seizure of drugs, firearms, and cash.
This week, Alexis Walsh, 30, from Jeannette, Pennsylvania, received a sentence of 123 months for distributing cocaine hydrochloride. Michael Ramsbottom, 68, from Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, was sentenced to 84 months for conspiracy charges relating to methamphetamine hydrochloride, fentanyl, cocaine hydrochloride, and cocaine base. Sathira Lynn Ewers, 42, from Romney, West Virginia, faces 70 months for similar conspiracy charges. Eric Turner, 38, from Winchester, Virginia, was given probation for three years for his involvement in the conspiracy.
All defendants have now been convicted. Burks, 29, also from Jeannette, Pennsylvania, received a sentence of 262 months in January 2025. Hose, 40, from Bunker Hill, West Virginia, is scheduled for sentencing on May 5, 2025.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher, with the investigation conducted by the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, part of the HIDTA-funded initiative.
This operation was a part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) program, which targets significant criminal organizations through a collaborative approach. The program details are available on the Department of Justice's website.
Presiding over the case was U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh.
