Sissonville man pleads guilty to federal methamphetamine charge

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Sissonville man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Richard Lee Gandy, Jr., 40, entered his guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Gandy admitted that on September 12, 2015, officers responded to his residence and upon arrival, they found Gandy in his garage with approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine in plain view. Officers received consent to search the garage and found marijuana as well as items commonly used to distribute illegal drugs. Members of the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department returned the following day and received consent to search the garage more thoroughly. Officers additionally obtained a search warrant for the surrounding outbuildings and property. During the execution of the search warrant and the consensual searches, law enforcement found a total of approximately 200 grams of methamphetamine, 11 marijuana plants, nearly 12 pounds of marijuana, digital scales, a room containing materials commonly used to grow marijuana indoors, precursor materials used to manufacture methamphetamine, and over $18,000 cash. Officers also recovered ATV’s, equipment, and tools that had previously been reported stolen from several different states. Gandy admitted that he intended to distribute the methamphetamine in and around Kanawha County.

Gandy faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on October 12, 2017.

The case against Gandy was investigated by the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Boggess is in charge of the prosecution. The plea hearing was held before United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston.

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, including methamphetamine. 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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