Press Release
Raleigh County Woman and Man Plead Guilty to Federal Drug Crimes
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of West Virginia
BECKLEY, W.Va. – Heather Danielle Dunbar, 37, of Terry, pleaded guilty today to distribution of methamphetamine. Dunbar admitted to her role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia. A co-defendant, David Anthony Lacy, 52, of Beckley, pleaded guilty today to use of a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense in a separate case.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 17, 2023, Dunbar sold 1 ounce of methamphetamine in exchange for $320 to a confidential informant at the residence of co-conspirator Tilford Joe Bradley Jr. in Beckley. Dunbar admitted to the transaction and further admitted to additional drug transactions. On October 23, 2023, Dunbar sold 25.94 grams of methamphetamine in exchange for $320. On December 26, 2023, Dunbar sold approximately 2.3 grams of fentanyl in exchange for $325. Each time, Dunbar sold the controlled substances to a confidential informant.
On June 28, 2023, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Bradley’s residence, where Dunbar was staying. Officers seized 38 grams of fentanyl, 6 grams of cocaine, multiple digital scales, a money counter, a large quantity of small plastic bags, and a blender containing white residue. Dunbar admitted that she intended to help Bradley distribute the seized controlled substances in and around the Southern District of West Virginia.
Dunbar further admitted to working with Bradley to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl and crack in and around the Southern District of West Virginia during the months of April and May 2024. On April 9, 2024, Bradley called Dunbar and they discussed weighing $600 worth of drugs for an individual waiting to purchase them. On May 3, 2024, Dunbar and Bradley discussed selling $100 worth of cocaine to an individual. Dunbar admitted that she now knows that law enforcement intercepted her phone calls with Bradley.
Lacy received cocaine base, also known as “crack,” from Bradley and redistributed it in and around the Southern District of West Virginia throughout the month of April 2024. Lacy admitted that he called Bradley using his cell phone to discuss and arrange drug transactions. On April 24, 2024, Lacy called Bradley and asked for about 3.5 grams of crack, and told Bradley that he needed to discuss buying fentanyl from Bradley to redistribute. Lacy admitted that he now knows that law enforcement officers intercepted those phone calls.
Dunbar is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. Lacy is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of four years in prison, up to one year of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Bradley, 47, of Beckley, pleaded guilty on January 21, 2025 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and awaits sentencing. Dunbar, Lacy and Bradley are among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and crack within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. Dunbar, Lacy and Bradley are also among 10 defendants who have pleaded guilty. The charges against the other defendants are pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the cases.
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.
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 Nos. 5:24-cr-90 (Dunbar) and 5:25-cr-1 (Lacy).
###
Updated January 27, 2025
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component