MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — A Jefferson County man has admitted to his role in a large drug trafficking operation in the Eastern Panhandle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia reports Matthew David Viands, age 32, of Summit Point, West Virginia, admitted to having a role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl and other illicit drugs in the Eastern Panhandle.
According to court documents, Viands was a distributor of fentanyl for the organization. Viands also admitted to failing to appear following his pretrial release in the case.
Viands faces up to 20 years in prison for the drug charge and faces up to 10 years for failing to appear. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Of the 82 defendants, 80 others have been convicted. Fifty-nine defendants have been sentenced. One defendant, Charles Delroy Singletary, age 44, of Baltimore, Maryland, remains a fugitive. More in a recent press release.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Pittsburgh Field Division and Baltimore Field Division); the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Postal Inspection Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; the West Virginia Air National Guard; the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; the Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office; Ranson Police Department; Martinsburg Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; Stafford County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Maryland); Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia); Winchester Police Department; and the Clarke County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia).
This investigation is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
