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MORGANTOWN – A drug-trafficking and money-laundering operation running from Detroit into North Central West Virginia has been "dismantled" thanks to a multi-state task force effort, officials said Thursday.
Indictments for a total of 28 defendants -- ranging from Detroit, Philadelphia, Mississippi and West Virginia -- were announced during a press conference at WVU Erickson Alumni Center Thursday.
The indictments cover a period of more than two years, during which the suspects conspired to possess and distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine base ("crack"), and cocaine in Monongalia County and surrounding areas, officials announced.
The operation, allegedly led by Brendan Bragg, 32, of Detroit, involved transporting drugs from the Detroit area to Morgantown and Parkersburg, according to the indictments.
The investigation resulted in the seizure of more than 8 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl and fentanyl mixtures, more than half a pound of cocaine and cocaine base, $21,906 in cash, 10 firearms and ammunition.
"When agencies come together to take poison off the streets, communities are safer," said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. "This case demonstrates that no operation is too large or too far-reaching for our law enforcement partners. It sends a clear message: West Virginia is not a haven for drug dealers. We will prosecute those charged and hold them accountable."
Those named in the 114-count indictment, which contains multiple drug and money-laundering counts, include nine individuals from Michigan, one from Pennsylvania and one from Mississippi. The West Virginia individuals named in the indictment include 10 from Morgantown, two from Westover, two from Reedsville, one from Parkersburg, one from Wallace and one from Fairview.
"The DEA is proud to work side-by-side with our federal, state and local counterparts to pursue those who traffic dangerous drugs and fuel violence that ravages our communities," Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott, head of DEA's Louisville Field Division, said. "By bringing the full resources of the federal government to bear against these criminals, we are sending a clear message: your days are numbered."
The case also involved several residences in Morgantown, including locations on Kingwood Street, Airport Boulevard, Chestnut Ridge Road, Rolling Hills Village, Dunkard Avenue, Cherry Street, and East Hillview Drive, officials said.
Investigative agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Pittsburgh; the Drug Enforcement Administration-Louisville/Clarksburg; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; West Virginia State Police; the Morgantown Police Department; the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department; the Preston County Sheriff's Office; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office. Other agencies that assisted are the Parkersburg Drug Task Force; the Franklin County, Ohio Drug Task Force; Michigan State Police; the Detroit Police Department; FBI-Detroit; DEA-Detroit; and the Greene County, Pennsylvania Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership "dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad," a federal press release stated.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law, officials stressed.