Sara L. Jackson, a 49-year-old resident of Keyser, West Virginia, has been sentenced to 70 months in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Authorities stated that Jackson worked with another person to sell significant quantities of fentanyl, including pills containing the substance, as well as methamphetamine in Mineral County. Law enforcement officers executing a search warrant at Jackson’s apartment found nearly 1,300 grams of fentanyl and 788 grams of methamphetamine.
After serving her prison term, Jackson will be subject to three years of supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher. The investigation was conducted by the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, which is funded through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the proceedings.
According to the press release, “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.” The case falls under Operation Take Back America, described as “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.”
