Charleston woman sentenced to prison for federal drug crime

Charleston, W.Va. – A Charleston woman was sentenced today to a year and a day in prison for a federal drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Alisha Watts, 33, previously pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug-involved premises.

On March 18, 2016, officers with the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team executed a search warrant at 1210 Stonebrook Road in Charleston. Upon entering the residence, officers found Watts asleep in the bedroom. Watts admitted to being the occupant of the residence. Beside the bed, officers found a loaded handgun, over 600 grams of methamphetamine in the kitchen cabinets, and over 100 pounds of marijuana packaged in one-pound blocks throughout the residence. Additionally, officers located approximately $34,000 cash. Watts admitted that the drugs were being stored at her residence and were intended for distribution by a codefendant, Terrus Carter.

Carter was previously sentenced to eight years in federal prison for a methamphetamine charge. As part of Carter’s plea agreement, he agreed to forfeit a St. Albans residence and over $79,000 in cash.

The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman is responsible for the prosecution. United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr., imposed the sentence.

These cases were brought as part of an ongoing effort led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to combat illegal drugs in our communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, joined by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to aggressively pursuing and shutting down illegal pill trafficking, eliminating open air drug markets, and curtailing the spread of heroin and other drugs in communities across the Southern District. 

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