A Chicago man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for leading a fentanyl distribution operation that transported the drug from Chicago, Illinois, to Weirton, West Virginia. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Gerald Henry, 41, who is also known as “Unc,” “G,” and “G-ball,” received a 480-month sentence after being convicted of possessing and distributing over 400 grams of fentanyl. Authorities said Henry moved significant amounts of fentanyl into Hancock County, West Virginia, where it was sold to others. During a search of his residence in Weirton, investigators found more than 400 grams of fentanyl along with a firearm and ammunition. The investigation linked Henry to a total of 1,435 grams of fentanyl. He has prior convictions related to drugs.
“Henry was responsible for enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child of the Upper Ohio Valley six times over,” said U.S. Attorney Harvey. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their diligence in getting this poison out of our communities and saving lives.”
Several others involved in the operation have pleaded guilty. Jasmine McCullough, 42; Stephen Price, 40; Daniel Pail Truax, 47; Paula Jean Truax, 45; and William Dean Tredway, 36—who are from either Chicago or West Virginia—have all admitted guilt for their roles. Tredway has already been sentenced to nine months in prison while the other sentencings are pending.
Fentanyl’s potency has led federal officials to designate it as a weapon of mass destruction due to its risk even in small quantities. The case falls under Operation Take Back America, an initiative that uses Department of Justice resources against cartels and transnational criminal organizations while aiming to protect communities from violent crime and illegal immigration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton Reid and Carly Nogay prosecuted the case for the government.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Marshals Service, sheriff’s offices from Hancock County and Brooke County in West Virginia as well as Jefferson County in Ohio; police departments from Weirton and Wheeling in West Virginia; Steubenville Police Department in Ohio; and the West Virginia State Police.
U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey presided over the case.
