West Virginia man sentenced to 24 years for methamphetamine trafficking
WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – A Wheeling, West Virginia man was sentenced to more than 24 years in prison today for the trafficking of methamphetamine.
James R. Stewart, age 37, was sentenced to 294 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey. Stewart, who pled guilty to possession with intent to deliver in April, was discovered with nearly 700 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm pistol during a routine probation check. Stewart was on supervised release from a prior conviction when a probation officer located the drugs and the weapon.
In a separate case, Rocco Pasquale Pandoli, 34, also of Wheeling, was sentenced by Judge Bailey to 51 months in prison for the trafficking of methamphetamine, cocaine base, and cocaine. Pandoli, also known as “Fresh,” pled guilty to six drug trafficking counts in February 2023. The evidence presented by the government indicated that Pandoli was responsible for the distribution of nearly two kilograms of cocaine.
The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated both cases.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Adkins prosecuted the cases on behalf of the government.