Rodney Johnson, a 48-year-old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking organization in North Central West Virginia. Johnson's operation involved the distribution of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. According to court documents, Johnson hired distributors and paid them to transport and sell the drugs in Morgantown, West Virginia.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley. The investigation was conducted by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded group that includes several law enforcement agencies. These agencies include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, among others in West Virginia.
The operation was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) initiative, which aims to identify and dismantle significant criminal organizations that threaten the United States. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided over the case.