Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Today, Tilford Joe Bradley Jr., 47, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and Mark Anderson Staples, 53, of Beckley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack.” Bradley and Staples each admitted to roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and crack in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia. A co-defendant, Talbert Mazell Pannell, 42, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense in a separate case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on May 6, 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Bradley in Beckley. Officers searched Bradley’s vehicle during the traffic stop and found 2 ounces of methamphetamine in a magnetic box hidden in the vehicle’s engine bay, a Colt model MK IV .45-caliber pistol and a Hi-Point model C9 9mm pistol.
Bradley admitted that he intended to distribute the seized methamphetamine. Bradley further admitted to discussing and arranging multiple drug transactions with Staples and other co-conspirators. Bradley admitted that he and Staples spoke by cell phone on April 6, 2024, about exchanging controlled substances for cash and discussed $850 per ounce of cocaine as the purchase price. On April 9, 2024, Bradley spoke with co-conspirator Ronald Lavaughn Mason and arranged to buy a half-ounce of controlled substances from Mason that day. On April 12, 2024, Bradley arranged to buy a quantity of fentanyl from co-conspirator Demetrius Terrell Burns for $1,800 after Burns received a shipment of “raw” fentanyl. On April 24, 2024, Bradley arranged to trade 8.5 grams of fentanyl for 8.5 grams of heroin with co-conspirator Christopher Michael Shepherd, and conducted the transaction that day at a gas station near Beckley while under surveillance by law enforcement officers.
Bradley admitted that he and Staples arranged a drug transaction by phone on May 2, 2024, and conducted the transaction that day. Bradley initially asked Staples for a half-pound of methamphetamine, and then asked for an additional pound of methamphetamine in exchange for Staples’ supplier holding the title to Bradley’s truck. Law enforcement officers observed Bradley arrive at Staples’ Beckley residence to pick up the 1.5 pounds of methamphetamine.
On June 28, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bradley’s residence and seized 38 grams of fentanyl, 6 grams of cocaine, multiple digital scales, a money counter, a large quantity of small plastic bags, and a blender containing white residue.
Staples participated in the DTO conspiracy between April and May 2024. Staples obtained methamphetamine from other individuals that he distributed to customers who also intended to distribute the methamphetamine, and used his cell phone to set up these transactions.
Pannell admitted to receiving fentanyl and cocaine at his Beckley residence from his Beckley supplier throughout May 2024, and to using his cell phone to arrange these transactions. On May 12, 2024, Pannell called his supplier and asked for approximately 1.75 grams of fentanyl.
Bradley is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and Staples is scheduled to be sentenced on May 15, 2025. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. Pannell is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Mason, 46, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on October 24, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack. Burns, 32, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base. Shepherd, 48, of Fayetteville, pleaded guilty on September 26, 2024, to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. Mason, Burns and Shepherd each await sentencing.
Bradley, Staples, Pannell, Mason, Burns, and Shepherd are among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. Bradley, Staples, Pannell, Mason, Burns, and Shepherd are also among eight defendants who have pleaded guilty. The charges against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-90 (Bradley and Staples) and 5:24-cr-199 (Pannell).
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