Four residents of Wheeling, West Virginia were sentenced on Mar. 24 for selling fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
The sentencing addresses concerns about illegal drug distribution and its impact on local communities. Authorities say the cases involved dangerous substances that have contributed to ongoing public safety issues.
Tyshaun Johnson, age 30, received a sentence of 115 months after selling fentanyl near Jensen Playground in Wheeling and being found to have sold cocaine base as well. Johnson has previous convictions including fraud, assault, domestic battery, malicious assault, and theft.
Harold Wayne Nice, age 42, was sentenced to 60 months for distributing more than 30 grams of methamphetamine along with nearly two grams of fentanyl and one gram of cocaine base. Nice’s criminal record includes prior convictions for domestic battery and other offenses such as destruction of property and breaking and entering.
Cephus Andrews, age 33, received an 18-month prison sentence for conspiring with others to sell fentanyl, heroin, and cocaine in Ohio County. Andrews allowed his residence to be used as a stash house; investigators seized over seven grams of a fentanyl/heroin mixture along with cocaine paraphernalia and cash from his home. Eight co-defendants are awaiting trial scheduled for April.
Alyssa Marie Abrigg was sentenced to thirty months in federal prison after selling nearly one gram of fentanyl and half a gram of methamphetamine in the Warwood section of Wheeling; she also has prior drug convictions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid is prosecuting these cases with support from the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Wheeling Police Department.
President Donald Trump previously designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction due to its lethality even in small amounts. The prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a national effort by the Department of Justice targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations while seeking to protect communities from violent crime.
