Three individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties, West Virginia. The charges stem from an indictment issued in January 2024, which named 82 defendants including Gary Brown, Jr.
Bradley David Welsh, 53, of Boonsboro, Maryland received a sentence of 57 months in federal prison. David Lewis Pennington, Jr., 21, of Huntington, West Virginia was sentenced to 87 months. Lynn Wood Campbell, 45, of Martinsburg, West Virginia was sentenced to 84 months.
Of the total defendants indicted in this case, 81 have been convicted and 77 have now been sentenced. Gary Brown Jr., identified as a key figure in the organization’s operations, received a sentence of 327 months in federal prison in May 2025.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the proceedings.
The investigation involved several agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh and Baltimore Field Divisions), Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, United States Postal Inspection Service, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; United States Marshals Service; Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative); West Virginia State Police; West Virginia Air National Guard; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office; Ranson Police Department; Martinsburg Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Frederick County Sheriff’s Offices (Maryland and Virginia); Winchester Police Department; and Clarke County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia).
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide effort coordinated by the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration issues and combat transnational criminal organizations through initiatives such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). More details about the dismantling of this drug network can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/investigators-dismantle-fentanyl-drug-trafficking-network-eastern-panhandle.
