Mark Lawrence Lowe, also known as “Cell,” 24, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine and more than 40 grams of fentanyl. The sentencing took place in Huntington, West Virginia.
Lowe admitted his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area between September and November 2023. On September 9, 2023, law enforcement stopped a vehicle on Interstate 64 in Cabell County carrying Lowe and co-conspirator Paul Anthony Rucker. Officers seized about 149 grams of fentanyl and over 222 grams of methamphetamine during the stop. Both men admitted they intended to distribute these substances.
Paul Anthony Rucker, aged 48 from Nitro, received a sentence on July 15, 2024, of six years and six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in aiding and abetting possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
The case is part of a larger investigation involving an indictment against 27 individuals accused of distributing drugs transported from Detroit into Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. So far, Lowe, Rucker, and another 22 defendants have pleaded guilty; charges are still pending against the remaining individuals. The press release emphasized that an indictment is an allegation only; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the sentencing. She commended investigative work by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), West Virginia State Police, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT consists of officers from several local police departments across Charleston area jurisdictions.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed Lowe’s sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program which began in 1982 to address major drug trafficking organizations through combined federal resources alongside state and local agencies.
A copy of this press release can be found on the website for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia along with related court documents available via PACER by searching Case No. 3:23-cr-180.