CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Charleston man was sentenced today to 14 years in prison for distributing fentanyl.
According to court documents, Brian Vineyard, 49, sold approximately 3.5 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $450 on September 9, 2020. In imposing the sentence, the Court also found that Vineyard sold fentanyl to a confidential informant on September 14, 2020 and September 16, 2020. Officers then executed a search warrant on Vineyard’s home on September 21, 2020, and found fentanyl in a safe in the home meant for distribution. In all, the Court found Vineyard responsible for 66.73 grams of fentanyl.
“West Virginia is in an overdose crisis. Overdose deaths are increasing in our state and most of them involve fentanyl,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “We are working vigorously alongside our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to hold fentanyl traffickers accountable for the harm they inflict upon West Virginia families. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Coleman, the FBI, MDENT and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office for their excellent work in this case and for taking another fentanyl dealer off of our streets.”
This was Vineyard’s third federal felony drug trafficking conviction. As such, he was sentenced as a career offender.
Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman handled the prosecution.
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. 2:21-cr-00106.
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