Jefferson County man and Virginia man indicted on drug charges

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Wayne Samuel Ellis Clyburn, Of Ranson, West Virginia, and Shawn Kendall Murray, of Gainesville, Virginia, were indicted today on drug charges, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Clyburn, age 51, was indicted on one count of “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin, Cocaine Hydrochloride, and Marijuana,” one count of “Possess with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride,” one count of “Possess with Intent to Distribute Marijuana,” and two counts of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.”

Murray, age 37, was indicted on one count of  “Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Heroin, Cocaine Hydrochloride, and Marijuana,” one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine Hydrochloride,” one count of “Possess with Intent to Distribute Heroin,” and one count of “Travel Act – Promotion.” 

Both men are accused of being involved in a drug distribution operation from March 2018 to January 2019 in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties and elsewhere.

Clyburn faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each of the conspiracy and cocaine charges. He faces up to five years incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000 for the marijuana charge. Clyburn faces up to four years incarceration and a fine of up to $30,000 for each of the communication charges. Murray faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each of the conspiracy, cocaine, and heroin charges.  Murray faces up to five years incarceration for the travel act charge. 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 Lara Omps-Botteicher and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.