Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Kevin Wray Terrell, 39, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Terrell admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl and in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Terrell admitted to working with a co-conspirator to obtain and distribute controlled substances in April and May 2024. On May 15, 2024, the co-conspirator told Terrell about a supplier prepared to sell controlled substances to them, and the two discussed providing $6,000 to this supplier for drugs they planned to distribute in and around the Southern District of West Virginia. On May 20, 2024, Terrell drove the co-conspirator to Baltimore, Maryland, whether they purchased approximately $6,000 worth of fentanyl.
Terrell and his co-conspirator returned to West Virginia the next day and discussed increasing the volume of the purchased fentanyl by adding such cutting agents as sugar and brown sugar. On May 30, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Terrell’s residence in Beckley and seized 136 grams of fentanyl.
Terrell is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.
Terrell is among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. Terrell is also among 11 defendants who have pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment. The charges against one remaining co-defendant 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.
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