Parkersburg Woman Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Mary Elizabeth Curran, 37, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute 40 or more grams of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 27, 2021, Curran obtained a quantity of fentanyl in Columbus, Ohio, which she intended to distribute in the Parkersburg area. On that date, Curran was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by law enforcement officers after it entered Wood County from Ohio. Officers suspected that Curran was hiding controlled substances on her person, and she was transported to the North Central Regional Jail for an X-ray body scan.

While awaiting the body scan, Curran clogged a bathroom toilet when she attempted to flush two plastic bags containing powder. The toilet was taken apart and the bags were recovered. The West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory confirmed one bag contained approximately 56 grams of fentanyl and the other bag contained approximately 28.5 grams of a fentanyl analogue. The lab also found Curran’s DNA on one bag, and her fingerprint on the other.

Curran is scheduled to be sentenced on March 2, 2023, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5,000,000 fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and the West Virginia State Police.

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Nowles Heinrich is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-136.

###