CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Two defendants were sentenced Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in connection with a federal investigation into a drug trafficking organization that distributed fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area.
Ashley Dawn Smith, 32, of St. Albans, was sentenced to five years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Adrian Lamont Carter, 45, of Charleston, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Smith and Carter admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Charleston area between June 2024 and May 2025.
Investigators said Smith distributed fentanyl to customers after obtaining the drug from two out-of-town sources. One co-conspirator later redistributed fentanyl obtained from Smith.
When law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Smith’s St. Albans residence in February 2025, they found a quantity of fentanyl and other items indicative of drug distribution.
Carter obtained fentanyl from an out-of-town source and distributed it to several customers in the Charleston area, according to court records.
A search warrant executed at his Charleston residence in April 2025 resulted in the seizure of fentanyl and other items associated with fentanyl distribution.
Smith and Carter are among 16 individuals indicted following the federal investigation. Five defendants in the main indictment, including Smith and Carter, have pleaded guilty. Four additional defendants pleaded guilty in separate cases stemming from the same investigation.
Charges against the remaining defendants are pending. An indictment is an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentences and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team, which includes the Charleston Police Department, Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, Nitro Police Department, St. Albans Police Department and South Charleston Police Department.
The sentences were imposed by United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.
The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative led by the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal drug trafficking, dismantling cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and reducing violent crime in communities nationwide.
