CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A drug trafficking and money laundering network operating from Detroit, Michigan, to Morgantown, West Virginia, has been dismantled following a coordinated multi-state investigation, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced today.
“When agencies come together to take poison off the streets, communities are safer,” said U.S. Attorney Harvey. “This case demonstrates that no operation is too large or too far-reaching for our law enforcement partners. It sends a clear message: West Virginia is not a haven for drug dealers. We will prosecute those charged and hold them accountable.”
According to the indictment, over a period of more than two years, 28 defendants from Detroit, Philadelphia, Mississippi, and West Virginia conspired to possess and distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine base (“crack”), and cocaine in Monongalia County and surrounding areas. The operation, allegedly led by Brendan Bragg, 32, of Detroit, involved transporting drugs from the Detroit area to Morgantown and Parkersburg, West Virginia.
The investigation resulted in the seizure of more than 8 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl and fentanyl mixtures, more than half a pound of cocaine and cocaine base, $21,906 in cash, 10 firearms, and ammunition.
“The DEA is proud to work side-by-side with our federal, state, and local counterparts to pursue those who traffic dangerous drugs and fuel violence that ravages our communities,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Field Division. “By bringing the full resources of the federal government to bear against these criminals, we are sending a clear message: your days are numbered.”
Those charged along with Bragg in the 114-count indictment containing multiple drug and money laundering counts are:
- Torianno Alexander, 40, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Treasure Wooten, 34, of Detroit, Michigan
- Ezavin Blue, 31, of Detroit, Michigan
- Vincent Hill, 38, of Detroit, Michigan
- Austin Hudson, 29, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Frank McKinney, 27, of Highland Park, Michigan
- Stewart Jenkins, 54, of Detroit, Michigan
- Zaire Adams, 25, of Detroit, Michigan
- Adam Mccullough,26, of Cleveland, Mississippi
- Khorie Morris, 27, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Lance Harris, 33, of Detroit, Michigan
- Kayla Ashley, 31, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Cathy Jo Riffle, 32, of Westover, West Virginia
- Ashley Flowers, 49, of Westover, West Virginia
- Rebecca Fletcher, 34, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Brian Willard, 49, of Fairview, West Virginia
- Isabella Rexroad, 29, of Parkersburg, West Virginia
- Keanna Phillips, 29, of Berkley, Michigan
- Alexis King, 44, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Jeffrey Turner, 31, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Darlene Dodson, 46, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Valerie Smith, 37, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Cody Lockhart, 38, of Wallace West Virginia
- Lori Murphy, 37, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Latisha Kelly, 47, of Morgantown, West Virginia
- Brianna Turner, 28, of Reedsville, West Virginia
- Brian Turner, 63, of Reedsville, West Virginia
The case also involved several residences in Morgantown, including locations on Kingwood Street, Airport Boulevard, Chestnut Ridge Road, Rolling Hills Village, Dunkard Avenue, Cherry Street, and East Hillview Drive.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
This case is a part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Pittsburgh; the Drug Enforcement Administration-Louisville/Clarksburg; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; West Virginia State Police; the Morgantown Police Department; the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department; the Preston County Sheriff’s Office; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Other agencies that assisted are the Parkersburg Drug Task Force; the Franklin County, Ohio Drug Task Force; Michigan State Police; the Detroit Police Department; FBI-Detroit; DEA-Detroit; and the Greene County, Pennsylvania Drug Task Force.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
