California Man Pleads Guilty to Methamphetamine Conspiracy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Steve Jones, 35, from Riverside, California, pled guilty today before United States District Court Judge Joseph R. Goodwin to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, announced United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  At the hearing, Jones admitted to obtaining pound quantity packages of methamphetamine on at least two occasions in 2017 that had been shipped from California to West Virginia and delivering them to another individual who had arranged their shipment. Once Jones delivered the packages he and others he was involved in distributing methamphetamine with in the Kanawha Valley were supplied large amounts of methamphetamine to sell. The proceeds were then returned to the individual who had arranged the shipments. Jones further admitted to having been involved in the distribution of between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of pure methamphetamine. Jones faces from 10 years to life imprisonment and a $10,000,000.00 fine when he is sentenced on June 14, 2018.   Stuart praised the joint investigation conducted by MDENT, DEA and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department.

“Meth dealers like Steve Jones who come to our state from California are not welcome here.  It is my sincere hope that since Mr. Jones decided to distribute large amounts of poison to our people, he will spend every day of the rest of his life behind bars,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.    These out-of-state drug traffickers are a disgrace to humanity and a threat to honest law abiding citizens in our communities,”  continued Stuart.

This case is being prosecuted as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat the illicit sale and misuse of illegal drugs. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of illegal drugs in communities across the Southern District.

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