Two individuals have been sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking organization operating in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The federal court action follows an indictment from January 2024 that named Gary Brown, Jr. and eighty-one others as participants in distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine throughout Berkeley and Jefferson Counties.
Darien Jacob Horton, also known as “Dee Jae,” age 25, of Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia, received a sentence of 135 months in federal prison. According to court records, Horton acted as a distributor within the operation by purchasing large amounts of fentanyl capsules and other drugs for redistribution. Horton has previous convictions including attempted murder, firearms violations, and domestic battery.
Jennifer Nicole Barthlow, age 41, of Charles Town, West Virginia, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for her role as one of Brown’s distributors.
Out of the 82 defendants charged in this case, 81 have been convicted. Including Horton and Barthlow’s sentences this week, a total of 74 individuals have now been sentenced. Gary Brown Jr., identified as the leader of the group, was previously sentenced to 327 months in federal prison in May 2025.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government. U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over the proceedings.
The investigation involved multiple agencies: Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh Field Division and Baltimore Field Division), 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; Clarke County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia).
This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice designed to address illegal immigration issues while targeting cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts from programs such as Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
