Three men have been sentenced on May 5 to a total of 48 years in federal prison for distributing large amounts of methamphetamine in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.
The sentencing is part of efforts to address drug trafficking and its impact on local communities. The case highlights ongoing law enforcement actions against narcotics distribution networks operating across state lines.
Patrick Stickley, age 38, from Falling Waters, West Virginia, received a sentence of 360 months in federal prison. Charles Lawrence Stevens, age 33, from Winchester, Virginia, was sentenced to 106 months. Both were involved in selling methamphetamine through an operation where others accepted mailed packages containing drugs for Stickley to distribute within Berkeley County. Stevens was identified as the intended recipient of a package containing nearly two pounds of methamphetamine that was intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service and the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force. During a search at Stickley’s residence, authorities seized ten pounds of marijuana and fifteen firearms.
Gerard Joseph Fitch III, age 36, from Augusta, West Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months for distributing more than five grams of methamphetamine after selling twenty-seven grams to a confidential informant in Hampshire County. Prosecutors said Fitch has a prior history involving drug trafficking offenses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted these cases with investigative support from several agencies including the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force and Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force—both HIDTA-funded initiatives—as well as HSI Cherry Hill/Joint Camden Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice aiming to eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime and illegal immigration activities.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over all three cases.
