Eastern Panhandle man indicted on heroin, cocaine, and fentanyl distribution charges

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA –Karl Justin Dunn, III, of Kearneysville, West Virginia, was indicted today on multiple drug charges, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Dunn, age 32, was indicted one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base,” one count of “Distribution of Fentanyl,” six counts of “Distribution of Heroin,” two counts of “Distribution of Heroin and Fentanyl,” and one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin.” Dunn is accused of distributing cocaine base, heroin, and fentanyl from May 2018 to February 2019 in Berkeley County.

Dunn faces up to 20 years incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000 for each count.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

These charges are the result of investigations supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) under the Attorney General-led Synthetic Opioid Surge (SOS)/Special Operations Division (SOD) Project Clean Sweep.  This initiative seeks to reduce the supply of synthetic opioids in “hot spot” areas previously identified by the Attorney General of the United States, thereby reducing drug overdoses and drug overdose deaths, and identify wholesale distribution networks and sources of supply operating nationally and internationally.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Lydia Lehman, also with the Berkeley County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

The investigation was funded by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.