Pennsylvania man admits to his role in a drug trafficking operation

 CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Lance Smith, of Confluence, Pennsylvania, has admitted to his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, Acting United States Attorney Randolph J. Bernard announced.

Smith, 47, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Heroin and Cocaine Base.” Smith admitted to working with others to distribute heroin and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” from March 2018 to September 2020 in Monongalia County and elsewhere.

Smith faces up to 20 years of incarceration and a fine of up to $1,000,000. 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.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda E. Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Mon Metro Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, and the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.