Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty To Illegal Distribution Of Prescription Painkillers

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin announced that a Mercer County man pleaded guilty on Jan. 29 in federal court to distribution of hydromorphone.  Trusby Hubbard also known as “Red,” 34, of Bluefield, Mercer County, W.Va., admitted that on August 16, 2012, he sold two hydromorphone pills to a person cooperating with law enforcement authorities.  Hubbard also admitted that during the illegal transaction, he possessed an additional 15 hydromorphone pills.  The illegal pill transaction took place at the defendant’s Bluefield residence. 

The defendant also admitted that he was responsible for distributing a total of no more than 17 hydromorphone pills. 

Hubbard faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on April 26, 2013 by United States District Senior Judge David A. Faber. 

The Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force handled the investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney John File is in charge of the prosecution.  

The case is being brought as part of the Bluefield Pill Initiative.  The Bluefield Pill Initiative is a collaborative, multi-agency regional law enforcement effort designed to halt prescription drug trafficking in Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming Counties.  The Bluefield Pill Initiative is led by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Departments, and the Bluefield and Princeton Police Departments.