A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, man has admitted to working with an alleged gang member to sell fentanyl in North Central West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced recently.
Ramon Juan Sims Jr., 29, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to the plea agreement and statements made in court, the Weston Police Department, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and West Virginia State Police conducted a patrol of the Broad Street area of Weston in September 2024 due to suspected drug activity.
The cooperative police effort stopped driver Ramon Sims and his passenger, Shawn Galin Whitley Jr., while they were in possession of fentanyl and $2,040 in suspected drug proceeds. With assistance from the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, police lawfully searched their nearby hotel room and seized 3,750 fentanyl stamps.
Whitley, 35, of Charlotte, North Carolina, is a suspected gang member. Whitley previously pleaded guilty in April 2026 for his role in the conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing.
Sims faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Warner is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.
Investigative agencies include the Mountain Region Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; West Virginia State Police; Lewis County Sheriff’s Office; and the Weston Police Department.
Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality, which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.
