Two Mercer County men prosecuted for distributing pain pills

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – Two Mercer County men appeared in federal court today on drug charges, announced Acting United States Attorney Carol Casto.

George F. Brooks Jr., 45, of Princeton, was sentenced to eight years in federal prison for distribution of oxymorphone. Brooks previously pleaded guilty in June of 2015, and admitted that on December 3, 2014, he sold oxymorphone to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. The drug deal took place on High Street in Princeton.

Keith Joseph Alfred, 42, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty to distribution of hydromorphone. Alfred admitted that on October 22, 2013, in Bluewell, he sold four hydromorphone pills to a confidential informant working with law enforcement. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine when he is sentenced on April 5, 2016.

The investigations of Brooks and Alfred were conducted by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force and the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney John File is handling the prosecutions. The hearings took place before Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber.

These cases were prosecuted as part of the Bluefield Pill Initiative, a collaborative, multi-agency regional law enforcement effort designed to halt prescription drug trafficking in Mercer, McDowell, and Wyoming counties. The Bluefield Pill Initiative is led by the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force, which includes the West Virginia State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation; the Mercer, McDowell and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Departments; and the Bluefield and Princeton Police Departments.

• Follow us on Twitter: SDWVNews