Four individuals have pleaded guilty to federal drug charges related to methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, according to U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Steven Anthony Blatt, 63, and Jeanetta Nicole Sigler, 50, both from Paden City, admitted to possessing with intent to distribute at least 50 grams of methamphetamine. Authorities reported that Blatt, also known as “Stevie,” and Sigler collaborated in selling methamphetamine across Wetzel and Tyler Counties. After traveling to Morgantown to obtain drugs, law enforcement stopped their vehicle and confiscated 427 grams of methamphetamine.
D’Angelo Jones, 29, of Wheeling, entered a guilty plea for possession with intent to distribute heroin and fentanyl. Investigators found Jones was distributing these substances in Ohio County. During a search of his Wheeling Island residence, officers seized 20 grams of heroin and fentanyl along with a firearm and $1,200.
Roland N. Copney, 37, also from Wheeling, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Police identified Copney during an investigation into gunshots on Wheeling Island. A search warrant executed at his home led officers to seize over 200 grams of methamphetamine, 12 grams of fentanyl, and ammunition.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Clayton Reid and Jennifer Conklin are handling the prosecutions for the government.
The Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Marshall County Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative); Ohio Valley Drug Task Force (also HIDTA-funded); and the Wheeling Police Department were involved in the investigations.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided over the proceedings.
“Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts,” according to the announcement. “This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.”
