Illegal alien admits to drug charge

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Lucio Javier Escobedo Fernandez, a Mexican national, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld, II announced.

Fernandez, 28, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Fernandez admitted to working with others to distribute methamphetamine from March 2018 to August 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.

Fernandez faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1 million. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.