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

Elkins man sentenced for role in drug trafficking operation

Court Judge

A West Virginia resident has been sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in the Northern District of West Virginia.

Joshua Noel, 42, of Elkins, West Virginia, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Noel was part of a drug trafficking organization operating in Monongalia County, West Virginia, that distributed large quantities of controlled substances for more than six years.

The drug organization, with its origins in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, transported 5 to 10 pounds of methamphetamine to Morgantown per trip.

Noel will serve 3 years of supervised release following his prison sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated the case. U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.

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