CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy that brought large quantities of the drug to West Virginia.
Silvester Barcenas, 23, admitted in federal court Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
According to court records, Barcenas drove from South Carolina to Charleston on August 12, 2024, with approximately 3.9 kilograms of methamphetamine in his vehicle.
He acknowledged possessing the drugs and delivering them to an individual in Charleston under the direction of a co-conspirator.
Barcenas is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30, 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a potential $1 million fine.
His guilty plea is part of a broader federal investigation into a drug trafficking network that allegedly transported methamphetamine from Houston to West Virginia.
Barcenas and two other Mexican nationals, German Francisco Diaz, 40, also known as “Trulio,” and Braulio Villa-Chairez, 31, also known as “Raul,” were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the conspiracy.
Their trial is set for April 15, 2025. An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Another individual linked to the investigation, Israel Chaires-Villa, 22, pleaded guilty on February 13, 2025, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
He is scheduled for sentencing on June 2, 2025.
