MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The US Attorney’s Office says a Martinsburg woman has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for her part in a multi-state drug ring and criminal enterprise.
Kathryn Annette Batis (Photo: US Marshals Office)
Kathryn Annette Batis, age 38, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced Monday to 87 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Batis, also known as “Miss Kitty,” operated a drug house in Martinsburg for a multi-state organized drug trafficking business dubbed the “19th Street Enterprise.” The investigation uncovered nearly $65,000 in cash deposits over an 11-month period believed to be drug proceeds.
U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh heard testimony that the enterprise sold drugs, committed acts of violence, laundered money, and committed fraud in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The business was based in Philadelphia, but the operation had drug houses in Martinsburg, West Virginia, and elsewhere.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service; the West Virginia State Police; the Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the West Virginia Air National Guard investigated. The Eastern District of Pennsylvania U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Kent County Sheriff’s Office assisted.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
