Mineral County man admits to methamphetamine distribution

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Tyler Allen Whitacre, of Elk Garden, West Virginia, has admitted to selling methamphetamine, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Whitacre, age 25, pled guilty to one count of “Distribution of Methamphetamine.” Whitacre admitted to selling methamphetamine in January 2018 in Mineral County.

Whitacre faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 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 is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, The West Virginia State Police, and the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force 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.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.