ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) – A man from Buena Park, California was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to funneling thousands of fentanyl pills into Southwest Virginia.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Robert Contreras, 24, also known as “Quill,” previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

ABINGDON, Va. – A federal grand jury in Abingdon, Virginia has indicted seven individuals as part of a large-scale heroin and methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that brought the drugs from Michigan into Southwest Virginia and Eastern Tennessee for redistribution.

LEE COUNTY, Va. (WYMT) - The Lee County Sheriff announced an arrest that led to the confiscation of approximately one pound of meth and more than three thousand dollars in cash.

Sheriff Gary Parsons said a drug task force investigation at highway 421 North near the Kentucky State Line.

Three suspects were arrested on the scene. The sheriff’s release said the meth that was taken is worth almost $50,000.

The three people arrested were Michael Vineyard, 24, from Ohio, Stephen Elliott, 44 of Loyall Kentucky, and Carlton Adams, 25, of Ohio.

TAZEWELL COUNTY, Va. (WJHL) – Investigators say the arrests of four individuals in Tazewell County led to the seizure of a huge amount of money and illegal substances.

According to a statement from Chris Plaster, the Tazewell County commonwealth’s attorney, the arrests came as a result of a months-long investigation. The Tazewell County Narcotics Task Force began “Operation Mouse Trap” in January, Plaster said.

FLOYD COUNTY, Va. (WFXR) — A Floyd County man may face two life sentences after his conviction for multiple drug distribution and gun possession charges on Wednesday.

ABINGDON, Va. — A federal grand jury indicted 21 Southwest Virginia residents Tuesday on charges of conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

According to the indictment, the 21 defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Lee and Wise counties and elsewhere in Southwest Virginia between July 2016 and May 2019.

The indictment was unsealed Tuesday following the arrest of five of the defendants, while some others were previously taken into custody, according to a written statement. Four unnamed defendants remain wanted by authorities.

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Four members of a drug distribution organization that trafficked methamphetamine, heroin, oxycodone, cocaine, and other drugs from Georgia into Southwest Virginia were sentenced recently in federal court on drug conspiracy charges, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring announced.

WISE — A Wise County physician, his wife and an employee face a deluge of drug and fraud charges in indictments handed down this week by a grand jury.

The indictments follow a raid by officers while executing a search warrant in March at the offices of Dr. Michael B. Ford, 74, operating a medical practice (the Appalachian Medical Clinic in Appalachia) with his wife, Una Faye Ford, 68.

Local, state and federal authorities on March 1 conducted a “takedown” of a drug trafficking operation involving local residents and three Georgia residents.

Those arrested, according to Wise County/Norton Commonwealth Attorney Chuck Slemp, were Rebecca Owens and Christy Doffermyer, both of Big Stone Gap; Terry Cook, of Lee County; and Roy Lee Dykes, Leila Valetta Hector and Timothy Terrell Peek, all of Georgia.

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – A Coeburn, Virginia doctor, who prescribed Ritalin and hydrocodone to an undercover investigator without a legitimate medical purpose, pleaded guilty today to federal health care fraud and drug distribution charges, Acting United States Attorney Rick A. Mountcastle and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced.