CHARLESTON, West Virginia -- April 8, 2022: The Department of Justice U.S. Attorney's Office Southern District
of West Virginia press release annouced Thursday two Charleston men pleaded guilty to drug offenses involving
a multi-state methamphetamine distribution ring. One of the men also admitting to a related gun crime stemming from
a foiled Fourth of July 2021 murder plot.
Brian Dangelo Terry, 37, and Treydan Leon Burks, 31, admitted to obtaining large quantities of methamphetamine from out-of-state for distribution in and around Charleston, according to court documents and statements made in court. Between March 2019 and August 2021, Terry admitted to distributing more than 16 pounds of methamphetamine. Between late 2020 and September 28, 2021, Burks admitted to distributing between three and eleven pounds of methamphetamine. Terry and Burks pooled their funds to obtain the drugs, then used couriers to transport the drugs and drug proceeds to lower-level dealers and users.
Terry pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and another of felon in possession of a firearm. Burks pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine at a separate hearing.
Burks admitted his role in the July 4, 2021 incident in his plea agreement. Bennett pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm on March 2, 2022, as a result of his involvement in the plot. Wesley's trial is set for May 24, 2022.
This case is part of a long-running investigation into a methamphetamine distribution network, which resulted in 17 people being charged with various drug and firearms offenses in three separate indictments returned in 2021.
Denise Marie Cottrill, Angie Lane Harbour, Michael Antonio Smith, Shane Kelly Fulkerson, and Jason Robert Oxley,
in addition to Burks, Terry, and Bennett, have already pleaded guilty. Last month, Timothy Wayne Dodd was found
guilty at trial. The remaining defendants will stand trial on May 24, 2022.
“This case represents an outstanding example of inter-agency teamwork and diligence that has not only dismantled a significant drug operation, but also prevented a violent crime from occurring,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “A quick response and coordinated effort by law enforcement spared Charleston’s West Side from another tragic incident.”
Terry and Burks are scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2022, and each faces at least ten years in federal prison and
up to life in prison.
The hearings today were presided over by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Josh Hanks and Alex Hamner.
This prosecution was part of an investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).
OCDETF uses a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States.
Wnctimes by Marjorie Farrington