NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
John L. Brownlee United States Attorney Heidi Coy Public Affairs Specialist |
BB&T Building 310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906 Roanoke, Virginia 24011 (540) 857-2250 FAX (540) 857-2180 |
May 21, 2007
EIGHT INDICTED ON METHAMPHETAMINE CHARGES
United States Attorney John L. Brownlee announced today that eight people have been indicted for their roles in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy operating in Carroll, Grayson and Wythe Counties as well as the City of Galax. The defendants were charged in an eleven count indictment that was returned April 19, 2007 by a federal Grand Jury sitting in Roanoke, Virginia and a superceding indictment returned May 17, 2007.
The defendants are as follows:
| Jeff Edwards | Age 38 | Barren Springs, VA | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth; Distribution of Meth; Attempt to Possess w/intent to distribute Meth. |
| Rehanna Blevins | Age 28 | Independence, VA | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth. |
| David Alexander | Age 42 | Barren Springs, VA | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth; Distribution of Meth; Attempt to Possess w/intent to distribute Meth; Possession of a firearm in Relation to a drug crime; Felon in possession of a firearm. |
| Melinda Ann Taylor | Age 34 | Fancy Gap, VA | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth; Attempted Possession w/intent to distribute Meth. |
| Rogelio Lopez-Sanchez | Age 27 | Mexico | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth; Possession w/intent to distribute Meth. |
| Enrique Sardinetas Sanchez | Age 37 | Mexico | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth. |
| Victor Pineda-Santana | Age 25 | Mexico | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth. |
| James Christopher Alderman | Age 32 | Pulaski, VA | Conpiracy to Distribute Meth; Attempt to possess with intent to distribute Meth. |
The Grand Jury has charged that the defendants brought in more than two hundred pounds of methamphetamine into Wythe, Carroll, Grayson Counties and the City of Galax over the last year for further distribution. The methamphetamine was brought to southwest Virginia from Mexico. The investigation has resulted in the seizure of multiple pounds of methamphetamine, as well as the seizure of guns and vehicles.
The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, the Galax Police Department, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Virginia State Police with assistance from the Claytor Lake Drug Task Force and Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford will prosecute the case.
An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. The defendants have the right to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.