Over the past year, drug task forces in the Northern District of West Virginia have seized significant quantities of illegal drugs, including more than 27 kilograms of fentanyl, 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, and 13 kilograms of cocaine. These results were announced by Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard in Elkins, West Virginia.
The nine drug task forces operating in the district are: Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, Mon Metro Drug Task Force, Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, Mountain Region Drug Task Force, Marshall County Drug Task Force, and Three Rivers Drug Task Force. Eight out of these nine groups receive funding from the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas initiative (HIDTA).
“Since taking office, President Trump has made it a priority to eliminate drug cartels, reduce violent crime and end illegal immigration. As part of Operation Take Back America, we, in law enforcement, have been tasked with surging all federal and local resources to combat those crimes,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard. “It is a moral imperative that we strive to enhance the quality of life in all communities caught in the crossfire. The results we have seen from the task forces within the NDWV prove those efforts have been effective.”
Bernard highlighted several recent cases handled by the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force during his announcement. In one case, Daniela Marie Giancoli and Michael Matthews—both aged 36 and residents of Baltimore—were sentenced to 150 months and 100 months in federal prison respectively for supplying fentanyl to dealers in West Virginia. The investigation resulted in nearly 9,000 fentanyl pills being seized.
In another case linked to Hardy County drug distribution networks, Wesley Neal Carter from Moorefield was sentenced to 240 months for conspiring with others to sell methamphetamine. Authorities found nearly three pounds of crystal methamphetamine at his property. Several individuals involved with Carter’s operation also received sentences ranging from over a decade up to more than sixteen years.
Carl Demetrio Valdez from Craigsville has pleaded guilty as Carter’s supplier and is awaiting sentencing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.
Multiple agencies contributed to these investigations: Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Moorefield Police Department; FBI-Baltimore; U.S. Marshals Service; Virginia State Police; RUSH Task Force (VA); Homeland Security Investigations-Harrisonburg (VA). The Potomac Highlands group itself consists of personnel from federal law enforcement as well as sheriff’s offices across Grant County, Hardy County, Mineral County and Hampshire County alongside Keyser Police Department and DEA agents.
These efforts fall under Operation Take Back America—a national strategy utilizing resources from the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)—which aims to dismantle cartels and criminal organizations while reducing violent crime across communities nationwide.
