Maryland man sentenced drug trafficking

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Donald Noel Smith, of Oakland, Maryland, was sentenced today to three years probation for drug trafficking, Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.

Smith, 42, pleaded guilty in October 2020 to one count of “Unlawful Use of Communication Facility.” Meadows admitted to using a phone to distribute drugs in March 2020 in Monongalia County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Senior U.S. District Judge Irene M. Keeley presided.