CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — UPDATED, 3:55 p.m., 3/22/23
Dozens of people were indicted and taken into custody Wednesday in the “largest methamphetamine seizure” in West Virginia’s history, officials said.
Will Thompson, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, said “significantly over 200 pounds” of methamphetamine was seized during search warrants, as well as 28 pounds of cocaine and about 20 pounds of fentanyl.
A news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office said 30 people were federally indicted in the investigation. Another 24 people were charged in state criminal complaints. Charged in a three-count federal indictment are:
* Antonio Lamar Jeffries, 34, of St. Albans
* Michael Allen Roberts, Jr., 40, of St. Albans
* Karl Lamont Funderburk, 37, of Hurricane
* Mark Leslie Lively, 56, of Kenna
* Scott Jeremy Savage, 46, of Nitro
* Ryan Keith Kincaid, 46, of South Charleston
* Todd Tyler Snead, 57, of Waynesboro, Virginia
* Tres Avery Davis, 34, of Charleston
* Telisa Rene McCauley, 31, of Charleston
* Deayria Eyshay Willis, 24, of Charleston
* John Paul Loudermilk, 60, of Charleston
* Timothy Allen Loudermilk, 63, of Charleston
* Keith Royal Goode-Harper, 31, of Charleston
* Nicole Leigh Fierbaugh, 44, of Charleston
* Latesha Lashae Nappier, 29, of Charleston
* Jeremy Rayshad Walker, 34, of Charleston
* Charles Norman Pannell, 43, of Charleston
* Les Van Bumpus, 34, of Charleston
Several suspects in the investigation were seen being taken into the FBI building on Virginia Street in Charleston early Wednesday morning.
The indictment charges 14 of the defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from November 2022 to March 2023 at or near Charleston, according to the news release. The indictment attributes 500 grams or more of methamphetamine to Jeffries, Davis, McCauly, Roberts and Snead and 50 grams or more to Funderburk.
The indictment charges six of the defendants with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and six of the defendants with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, all from December 2022 to March 2023 at or near Charleston.
Charged in a separate, one-count federal indictment are: Alexandria Jasmine Estep, 21, and Robert Dewayne Miller, 35, both of Charleston; and Perry Johnson, Jr., 29, and Dashounieque Lashay Wright, 26, both of Detroit, Michigan.
The indictment charges all four defendants with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from October 2022 to January 2023 at or near Charleston, the news release said.
A spokesperson for the FBI said eight people remain at large following Wednesday’s search. Three of the people – Deayria Eyshay Willis, Perry Johnson Jr. and Dashounieque Lashay Wright – face federal charges in the investigation.
Five people are wanted on state charges in the investigation: Tammy Alexandria Belcher, Zachary Allen Harrison, Jermain Santell Hill, Michael Gill Jeffries and David Dean Holmes II.
Officials said if you see those who are still wanted, you should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the Charleston Police Department at 304-348-6400. The public is asked not to approach the suspects as they may be dangerous.
Thompson said the search warrants were the culmination of a more than eight month investigation into several tips. Charleston police chief James “Tyke” Hunt credited community members for reporting issues they were seeing, which led to a lot of the arrests.
“These cases start with a simple tip – and those tips can be anonymous – but you get enough folks calling in with problem areas that need to be investigated and we begin looking into those areas and this is what we come up with,” Hunt said.
Thompson credited the collaborative effort among several agencies to make the process a success.
“I believe one of the primary reasons I was chosen to be U.S. Attorney was my approach on how to deal with controlled substances,” Thompson said. “This case is a perfect example of that approach.”
Eight people were previously indicted in the investigation on conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine: Jasper Wemh, 38, Justin Allen Bowen, 40, Richard Allen Bowen, 62, Kimberly Dawn Legg, 49, Larry Wayne Legg, 55, and Stanley Aaron Burkes, 62, all of Charleston; McKenzie Bowen, also known as McKenzie Myers, 24, of Belle; and Nicholas Bradford Confere, 35, of Mammoth.
Thompson said he believed the previous record for methamphetamine seizures in the state was 150 pounds.
ORIGINAL STORY
Multiple suspects are in custody in connection with a federal investigation that has been unfolding since early Wednesday morning in Charleston.
Federal officials were tight-lipped on the details of the arrests but said more information is expected to be released later Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at the Robert C. Byrd United States Courthouse. The news conference is scheduled at 3 p.m. and will be shared in the story below when it begins.
In an advisory sent around 11 a.m., a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said an announcement would be made at the afternoon news conference regarding a major drug trafficking investigation that had resulted in the "largest seizure of methamphetamine in West Virginia history."
Eyewitness News crews have witnessed several suspects being brought into the FBI building on Virginia Street in handcuffs by different law enforcement agencies, including the Charleston Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Kanawha County Sheriff's Office, West Virginia Natural Resources Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Witnesses in the area said the FBI, which sits adjacent to Starbucks and Courtyard by Marriott, has been packed with law enforcement officers since early in the morning.
Eyewitness News has a crew at the scene and will have the latest information as it is released.
