Three Raleigh County Residents Sentenced to Prison for Roles in Beckley-Area Drug Trafficking Organization

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Three Raleigh County residents were sentenced to prison today for their roles 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.

Tilford Joe Bradley Jr., 47, of Beckley, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Heather Danielle Dunbar, 38, of Terry, was sentenced to five years in prison for distribution of methamphetamine. Kevin Wray Terrell, 39, of Beckley, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and also for violating supervised release. Each prison term is to be followed by three years of supervised release.

Bradley, Dunbar and Terrell are among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging they participated in the DTO, which operated from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. All 12 defendants pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate offenses in lieu of the offenses charged in the indictment.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Bradley arranged multiple drug transactions with other individuals as part of the DTO conspiracy, and received controlled substances from multiple suppliers for distribution. On June 28, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Bradley’s residence, where Dunbar was staying, and 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.

On October 17, 2023, Dunbar sold 1 ounce of methamphetamine in exchange for $320 to a confidential informant at Bradley’s residence. Dunbar admitted to the transaction as part of her guilty plea and further admitted to selling 25.94 grams of methamphetamine for $320 on October 23, 2023,  and approximately 2.3 grams of fentanyl for $325 on December 26, 2023, each time to a confidential informant. Dunbar also 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 May 6, 2024, law enforcement officers in Beckley conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle in which Bradley was a passenger. Officers searched the vehicle and seized 2 ounces of methamphetamine found in a magnetic box hidden in the vehicle’s engine bay, a Colt model MK IV .45-caliber pistol, and a Hi-Point model C9 9mm pistol. As part of his guilty plea, Bradley admitted that he intended to distribute the seized methamphetamine.

Terrell admitted that he conspired with others to obtain and distribute controlled substances in April and May 2024 as part of the DTO. On May 30, 2024, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Terrell’s residence in Beckley and seized 136 grams of fentanyl.

At the time of this offense, Terrell was serving a term of supervised release as a result of his conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on July 20, 2015. Today’s sentence includes one year and 11 months in prison for committing a crime while on supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston 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.

Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentences. Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy D. Boggess and Brian D. Parsons and former Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

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 No. 5:24-cr-90.

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