Jose Alberto Camarena Rocha was sentenced on May 6 to 159 months in federal prison for his involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
The case is significant due to the scale of the operation and its connections to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel in Mexico. Prosecutors said Rocha supplied over one kilogram of heroin as part of a conspiracy that targeted Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. Authorities reported that he traveled across the country to obtain drugs and deliver them for further distribution.
"Rocha thought he could get away with bringing this poison from California to the Mountain State. He was wrong and will now spend more than 13 years in prison," U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey said. "Make no mistake. We will eliminate these ruthless cartels and will not tolerate their presence in our home."
The operation was led by Juan Suarez-Lugo and involved a total of eighteen defendants, with twelve—including Rocha—admitting guilt so far. Nine have been sentenced, while four are scheduled for trial in June 2026, and two remain at large under indictment.
The investigation was led by the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force with assistance from multiple agencies including several field offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; United States Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Service; Drug Enforcement Administration divisions; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; various state police departments; county sheriff's offices across West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California law enforcement agencies among others.
Fentanyl has been classified as a weapon of mass destruction due to its high lethality risk even at trace levels during President Donald Trump's administration. This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a Department of Justice initiative aimed at dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations while addressing violent crime and illegal immigration issues.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over sentencing.
