Two Maryland residents have pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges in Berkeley County, West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced on Mar. 13.
The cases highlight ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address the movement of illegal narcotics from neighboring states into the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Terrell Antonio Henderson, 34, of Halethorpe, Maryland, admitted to aiding and abetting the distribution of cocaine base. According to court records and his plea agreement, Henderson conspired with others to traffic drugs from Baltimore into West Virginia. The investigation led to a controlled buy at a Spring Mills parking lot where law enforcement observed the transaction. A search of Henderson’s vehicle uncovered buy money, additional drugs, and drug paraphernalia.
In a separate case, Elisa Owens, 31, of Hagerstown, Maryland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine, cocaine base, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Owens acted as a distributor for a trafficking ring operating between Hagerstown and Berkeley County. After surveillance by officers, a traffic stop and probable cause search resulted in the seizure of cocaine from her vehicle.
Both Henderson and Owens face up to 20 years in prison each. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting both cases. The investigations involved multiple agencies including the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force (a HIDTA-funded initiative), Drug Enforcement Administration in Hagerstown (Maryland), Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Maryland State Police, Hagerstown Police Department, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided over the proceedings.
Fentanyl has been designated as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality even in small amounts during President Donald Trump’s administration. These prosecutions are part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative aimed at eliminating cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
