Jermaine Antoine Johnson, a 35-year-old resident of Beckley, West Virginia, has been sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison. Following his release, he will be under supervised release for three years. This sentence comes after Johnson admitted to participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl as part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO) operating in Beckley and the Southern District of West Virginia.
Court documents reveal that Johnson was involved with the DTO in April and May 2024. He confessed to supplying controlled substances for distribution. As part of his guilty plea, Johnson acknowledged traveling with a co-conspirator to Baltimore, Maryland, on May 20, 2024. There they purchased approximately $6,000 worth of fentanyl before returning to West Virginia the following day. They discussed increasing the volume of fentanyl by adding cutting agents like sugar and brown sugar.
Johnson’s criminal history includes convictions for malicious assault, battery on a correctional officer, first-degree robbery, possession with intent to deliver narcotics, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Johnson is one of twelve individuals indicted for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base from June 2023 to May 2024 within the Southern District of West Virginia. All twelve defendants pleaded guilty; two opted for separate charges instead of those listed in the indictment.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston praised the investigative efforts of several agencies: 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. This unit comprises officers from the West Virginia State Police, Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and Beckley Police Department.
Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk delivered Johnson’s sentence. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian D. Parsons alongside former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell.
The investigation was conducted under the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). Established in 1982, OCDETF aims to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations through collaboration among federal agencies as well as state and local law enforcement.
Further information can be found on PACER by searching Case No. 5:24-cr-90 or on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia.
