Two men have admitted to distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine near protected locations in Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced on May 1.
The case is significant because it involves the sale of dangerous drugs close to schools and a playground, raising concerns about community safety and public health risks. The charges carry substantial prison sentences for both defendants.
Jason Hill, age 42 of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty to distributing heroin and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of Wheeling Central Catholic High School and West Virginia Northern Community College. Hill faces a potential sentence ranging from one to forty years in prison. In a separate case, Matthew Luff, age 41 of Wheeling, pleaded guilty to distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of Heritage Port Playground. Luff is facing between five and forty years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine their sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid is prosecuting both cases for the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative); and the Wheeling Police Department conducted the investigations leading to these pleas.
According to the official website, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia promotes community safety through outreach programs as well as crime prevention efforts across its jurisdiction—which covers thirty-two counties—and maintains staffed offices in Wheeling, Clarksburg, Elkins, and Martinsburg. The office also partners with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies through initiatives such as Project Safe Neighborhoods. It prosecutes federal crimes—including drug offenses—and manages civil litigation on behalf of the United States.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over these proceedings.
