Grant County man sentenced to 30 years for methamphetamine distribution

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Robert Lee Pauley, Jr., of Mount Storm, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 360 months incarceration for methamphetamine distribution, United States Attorney Bill Powell announced.

“Our district has seen an increase in methamphetamine activity, and we will continue to aggressively act to prosecute those who distribute it in our communities.  This prosecution is the result of excellent work by law enforcement and our prosecution team,” said Powell.  
 
Pauley, age 42, pled guilty to one count of “Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine” in March 2019. Pauley admitted to working with others to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from March 2018 to May 2018 in Mineral, Grant, and Randolph Counties.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Potomac Highlands Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the West Virginia State Police; and the Ravenswood Police Department investigated.

The investigation was funded in part by the federal Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program (OCDETF). The OCDETF program supplies critical federal funding and coordination that allows federal and state agencies to work together to successfully identify, investigate, and prosecute major interstate and international drug trafficking organizations and other criminal enterprises.

Chief U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.