St. Albans man pleads guilty to federal methamphetamine crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - A St. Albans man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime, announced United States Attorney Carol Casto. Christopher Carte, 43, entered his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

On February 9, 2017, Carte was stopped by law enforcement conducting surveillance after he was seen leaving a room at the Super 8 motel in Dunbar and officers found approximately one ounce of crystal methamphetamine in his jacket pocket. Carte admitted that he had gotten the methamphetamine from a known individual in the hotel room, and that he intended sell the drugs and pay that individual with the proceeds.

Carte faces up to 20 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on September 13, 2017.

The investigation was conducted by the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Haley Bunn is responsible for the prosecution. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin is presiding over the case.

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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