Huntington Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Role in Multi-State Drug Ring

DOJ Press

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man was sentenced today to 17 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a multi-state drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl and other illegal drugs in the Huntington area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Scott Lee Midkiff, 36, admitted that he participated in the drug trafficking conspiracy from the summer of 2020 to July 2021.  During the conspiracy, Midkiff frequently obtained quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl to distribute to various customers in the Huntington area. Midkiff provided the drugs to customers on consignment and was aware his customers intended to redistribute the drugs. Midkiff also admitted that he participated in arranging drug transactions by steering customers to certain drug dealers when customers would contact him.

On April 5, 2021, investigators seized over 1.2 pounds of methamphetamine, 130 grams of fentanyl and $84,000 in cash that Midkiff had arranged to be hidden in a vehicle parked in Huntington. When a search warrant was executed in the investigation on July 29, 2021, agents seized an additional 133 grams of fentanyl and $11,600 from a residence Midkiff shared with another individual.

Midkiff previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. The case is the result of a long-term investigation that disrupted the DTO and its distribution of fentanyl, methamphetamine, oxycodone, heroin, cocaine and cocaine base, also known as “crack.” All 18 defendants have pleaded guilty.


United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force. The Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force  is comprised of officers with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department, with support from the West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West.  The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus, Ohio also assisted in the investigation.


United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Courtney L. Cremeans prosecuted the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

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. 3:21-cr-109.

 

 

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