All schools in Upshur County will close at 1 p.m. today. All B-UHS sporting events today are canceled.

Baltimore fentanyl organizations shut down by federal indictments

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Two Baltimore-based drug trafficking organizations that supplied large amounts of fentanyl to West Virginia and caused at least two deaths have been dismantled by separate federal indictments that were unsealed today.

Thirty-four people from Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia were indicted on charges related to the sale of fentanyl, heroin and other drugs in Hampshire County and Mineral County. The drugs distributed led to a spike in overdoses in the region, both fatal and non-fatal. Much of the fentanyl had high levels of purity and had a purple tint to distinguish it from drugs sold by competitors.

In the first indictment, Kentrel Anthony Rollins, also known as “T-Rock,” age 30, of Baltimore, Maryland is alleged to be the leader of a fentanyl distribution operation in Hampshire County and elsewhere from January 2020 to October 2021. Court documents show that in addition to the sale of drugs, there was firearms trafficking and the trading of guns for drugs. Many of the firearms were acquired by a straw purchaser on behalf of the organization. Twelve people are charged in this matter, which also includes the alleged trafficking of heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine.

In the second indictment, Sean Jarred Davis, age 31, also of Baltimore, is alleged to be the leader of a conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl, as well as heroin, in Hampshire County and elsewhere from February 2021 to January 2023. A total of twenty-two individuals are charged in the case.

“Fentanyl continues to be the number one threat to public safety in the region and much of it flows here from Baltimore,” said United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld. “The investigators are to be commended for their outstanding work in identifying the sources of supply and halting their operations.”

The Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, led the investigations. The Task Force consists of members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the West Virginia State Police, the Mineral County Sheriff’s Office, the Hampshire County Sheriff’s Office, the Hardy County Sheriff’s Office, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office, and the Keyser Police Department. The Hampshire County Prosecutor’s Office assisted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.

An indictment is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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