MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Edson Velasquez-Lopez, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, has admitted to a drug charge, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
Velasquez-Lopez, 51, pleaded guilty today to one count of “Unlawful Use of a Communication Device.” Velasquez-Lopez admitted to using a phone to distribute cocaine hydrochloride in March 2021 in Berkeley County.
Velasquez-Lopez faces up to four years of incarceration and a fine of up to $250,000. 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. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Timothy D. Helman are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.