CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Another man has been sentenced in connection to a federal drug bust that confiscated more than 400 lbs of meth.
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Will Thompson and area local, state and federal law enforcement agencies say Jasper Wemh, 39, of Charleston, is the latest person sentenced in Operation Smoke and Mirrors. He will spend 16 years and eight months in prison for his role in the drug trafficking ring. Wemh’s sentence is to be followed by five years of supervised release.
“This case is a great example of what happens when you put an outstanding team of law enforcement together,” said Thompson. “Cases such as this are made possible by everyone working together on the same team.”
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston sentenced Wemh on May 2 on a charge of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. According to Thompson’s office, Wemh also has a prior conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine from March 2011.
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Court documents say Wemh is accused of distributing more than 85 lbs of meth for the drug trafficking organization in 2022, and often sold multiple pounds at a time, including selling more than 20 lbs of meth on the night of Dec. 4, 2022. According to Thompson, Wemh received the meth from an out-of-state supplier, sold the meth to multiple “customers” and then made payments to his supplier, which court documents say totaled $250,000. He is also accused of distributing some quantities of cocaine he obtained from the same out-of-state dealer.
Authorities say throughout Operation Smoke and Mirrors, they have seized 405 lbs of methamphetamine, 38.3 lbs of cocaine, 2.97 lbs of fentanyl along with at least 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash and forfeitures. Thompson says he also expects additional forfeitures by the end of the case, including vehicles.
According to Thompson, Operation Smoke and Mirrors consists of four federal indictments against those accused in the drug trafficking operation. His office says Wemh is among 32 defendants in the case. Thompson says 27 have pleaded guilty, and 20 have been sentenced to prison. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, indictments against five defendants are still pending.
The U.S. Attorney says Wemh was the “lead defendant” for one of those four indictments. According to Thompson, the defendants in the first two indictments have been prosecuted and sentenced, and they are working their way through the third and fourth indictments.
“Southern West Virginia law enforcement – federal agents and analysts, state troopers, deputy sheriffs, detectives and officers – stand shoulder to shoulder to rid our communities and our schools of dangerous narcotics. We are using every lawful tool at our disposal to put drug dealers behind bars and we are doing that work every day,” said said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek.
“Our message to drug dealers is this,” Rojek continued. “If you attempt to fill the criminal void left by these arrests, we’ll come for you next.”
The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and included cooperation from the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug Program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office. Along with the CP, KCSO and PCSO, the MDENT team includes the Nitro Police Department, St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.