Donald Renard Taylor, a 49-year-old resident of Dunbar, Kanawha County, entered a guilty plea to charges related to the distribution of methamphetamine. The legal proceedings, held in Charleston, W.Va., revealed details of transactions involving the sale of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on multiple occasions.
As court documents and statements disclosed, Taylor admitted to selling 104.63 grams of methamphetamine for $850 on July 31, 2023. Similar transactions were conducted on June 14 and July 13, 2023, involving the sales of 27.71 grams and 55.75 grams of methamphetamine, respectively, also to a confidential informant in Dunbar.
Subsequently, on August 2, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Taylor’s residence, resulting in the seizure of various drugs and firearms. Officers confiscated 139.7 grams of methamphetamine, over 200 grams of fentanyl, and 544.8 grams of cocaine along with $19,479 in cash. The arsenal included six firearms: a Highpoint 9mm pistol, a Bearman .38-caliber pistol, a F.I.E. Corp .25-caliber pistol, a Glock L9 9mm pistol, a Taurus GX4 9mm pistol, and a Davis Industries .25-caliber pistol.
Taylor is facing sentencing on July 8, 2025. "He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine," noted Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. She also commended the effective investigative work carried out by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT). MDENT comprises multiple local law enforcement bodies, including the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department, and the South Charleston Police Department.
Senior United States District Judge A. Faber presided over the proceedings, with Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum handling the case's prosecution.
Further details and related court documents can be found on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and can also be accessed via PACER with the case number 2:24-cr-44.