Charleston Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Charleston Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - John Wayne Harkless, 46, of Charleston, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Harkless admitted to a role in a Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine in the Charleston area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from in or about January 2024 to in or about May 2024, Harkless conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine in Charleston and within the Southern District of West Virginia.

Harkless sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant on nine separate occasions during the investigation. Investigators were able to confirm that Harkless was obtaining his methamphetamine from co-conspirator Kirt Ray King.

Harkless is scheduled to be sentenced on February 12, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Co-defendant Michael Dale Cain, 49, of Parkersburg, pleaded guilty November 6, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, admitting to a role in the drug trafficking conspiracy, and awaits sentencing. The indictment against King, 47, of Charleston, and another defendant remains pending. An indictment is merely 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 Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice's drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-95.

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