Mark Lawrence Lowe, also known as “Cell,” a 24-year-old resident of Detroit, Michigan, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his involvement in drug trafficking activities in Huntington, West Virginia. Lowe pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting the possession with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
Court records indicate that from September through November 2023, Lowe participated in distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl at various locations within the Southern District of West Virginia as part of a drug trafficking organization (DTO). On September 9, 2023, law enforcement stopped a vehicle on Interstate 64 in Cabell County carrying Lowe and co-conspirator Paul Anthony Rucker. Officers seized approximately 149 grams of fentanyl and nearly 223 grams of methamphetamine from the vehicle. During his plea hearing, Lowe admitted that he and Rucker intended to distribute these substances.
Rucker, aged 48 and from Nitro, was previously sentenced on July 15, 2024, to six years and six months in prison with three years supervised release for similar charges involving methamphetamine and fentanyl distribution.
Lowe and Rucker are among a group of 27 people indicted on allegations related to the DTO’s operations transporting drugs from Detroit into Huntington and other parts of southern West Virginia. Of those indicted, at least 23 have pleaded guilty; one individual pleaded guilty to an alternative charge. Charges against other defendants remain pending. The indictment is an allegation only; all remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston announced the sentence. She recognized the investigative efforts by several agencies: the FBI, Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, DEA, Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), West Virginia State Police, ATF, U.S. Postal Inspection Service; MDENT consists of officers from multiple regional police departments.
The sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
The investigation formed part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program—an initiative established in 1982 aimed at disrupting major drug trafficking organizations by combining federal resources with state and local law enforcement cooperation. The OCDETF’s primary goal is to identify and dismantle criminal organizations that threaten public safety or national security across the United States through coordinated multilevel operations.
Further details about this case can be accessed via PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180 on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Southern District of West Virginia.
