ABINGDON, Va. – A pair of drug traffickers, who conspired with several others to sell methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia, were sentenced last week in the Western District of Virginia to lengthy federal prison terms.
Amanda Dawn Skeens, 35, of Princeton, West Virginia, and Josh Goodman, 46, of Richlands, Virginia, both previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Last week, Skeens was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Goodman was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
In August 2022, another member of the conspiracy, Zachary Thomas Justice, 26, also of Richlands, Virginia, was sentenced to 14 years on similar charges.
According to court documents, between August 2019 and January 2022, Skeens, Justice, Goodman, and co-defendants Steven Cantrell and Ronda Rose conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Tazewell and Russell Counties in Virginia.
Cantrell and Rose have all pleaded guilty for their roles in the conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.
During 2019 and 2020, Justice and Cantrell sold methamphetamine out of an apartment they shared in Swords Creek, Virginia. In addition, Justice also traded firearms to Cantrell in return for methamphetamine for resale.
As part of the conspiracy, Skeens supplied methamphetamine several times a week from her home in West Virginia to other conspiracy members, who then brought the methamphetamine into Russell and Tazewell counties for further distribution, bringing anywhere from two ounces to a pound per trip.
United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh made the announcement.
The Russell County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County, West Virginia Sheriff’s Office, the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office, the Southern West Virginia Drug Task Force, the Tazewell County Drug Task Force, the Virginia State Police, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena L. Busscher prosecuted the case.