Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced today that Gregory Eugene Woods, 43, of Charleston, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine.  Woods is one of 14 defendants charged as a result of a long-term investigation known as “Second Wave,” which dismantled a poly-drug network operating in Kanawha and Fayette Counties.

“Woods returned to drug dealing even while still on federal supervised release from a prior drug conviction,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “Great job by law enforcement in the “Second Wave” investigation that netted Woods and 13 others.”

On April 21, 2020, the Charleston Police Department stopped Woods’ vehicle for a traffic violation.  A drug dog alerted to the vehicle, and police seized approximately two ounces of cocaine hidden in a coffee cup.  Woods was on his way to deliver the cocaine to an individual in Montgomery, West Virginia who was under investigation by the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Woods was on federal supervised release at the time of the traffic stop.  In 2016, he was convicted of using a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute marijuana. 

Woods faces up to 20 years in prison when he is sentenced on February 1, 2021. 

The Central West Virginia Drug Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Charleston Police Department conducted the investigation.

The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the keystone of the Attorney General’s strategy to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics throughout the United States using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to combat transnational organized crime. OCDETF agents and prosecutors nationwide handle complex investigations and prosecutions of the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, and other priority transnational criminal organizations that threaten the citizens of the United States.  OCDETF facilitates joint operations by focusing its partner agencies on priority targets, by managing and coordinating multi-agency efforts, and by leveraging intelligence across multiple investigative platforms.

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. 2:20-cr-00153.