Steven Aldridge, a 27-year-old resident of Wheeling, West Virginia, has pleaded guilty to charges related to a drug trafficking operation involving fentanyl and cocaine. The plea was entered for one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute over 40 grams of fentanyl and more than 500 grams of cocaine.
Court documents reveal that Aldridge collaborated with others in a drug trafficking network extending from Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Ohio Valley. He now faces a potential sentence ranging from five to forty years in federal prison. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is leading the prosecution for this case. The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, Marshall County Drug Task Force, Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force—all funded by HIDTA—alongside the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms; West Virginia State Police; Wheeling Police Department; Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and Belmont County Sheriff’s Office.
The proceedings were overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone.
For further details on related cases: www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-twenty-six-drug-trafficking
