Philadelphia Man Admits to Drug Trafficking in Monongalia County

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Rodney Johnson, 47, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has admitted to his role in an organization that was supplying large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to North Central West Virginia.

According to court documents, Johnson helped transport significant quantities of illicit drugs from Philadelphia to Morgantown, West Virginia. The organization utilized several properties in Monongalia County to store the drug supply.

Johnson faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each of the seven counts to which he pled. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

This case was investigated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff's Office; the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office; the Morgantown Police Department; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Star City Police Department.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

U.S. Magistrate Michael John Aloi presided.