MARTINSBURG, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mexican man has admitted to playing a major role in a drug trafficking operation that moved cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl into the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.
Jose Alberto Camarena Rocha, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, as well as illegal reentry into the United States.
According to court documents, Rocha, who lived in California, used his ties to the Sinaloa Drug Cartel to supply drugs to the network.
Those drugs were later distributed in Berkeley and Jefferson counties.
Rocha faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison for the drug charge, and up to two years for the illegal reentry charge.
A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after reviewing U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force led the investigation, with support from more than 25 local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and multiple police departments across West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and California.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on dismantling cartels, combatting illegal immigration, and reducing violent crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the case. U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided over the proceedings.
