Three Eastern Panhandle Residents Plead Guilty For Roles In Drug Scheme 

Thursday, November 28, 2024, 8:00 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

MARTINSBURG, W.VA.- On Tuesday, November 26, 2024, three West Virginia residents appeared in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty to their roles in a drug trafficking organization that sold and distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine throughout the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

     On Tuesday, during a plea hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble, Andrew Ross Hose, 40, of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. Bradley Allen Lopp, 35, also of Bunker Hill, West Virginia, and Marilynn Hope Baker, 27, of Shanks, West Virginia, each pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.

     According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher and charging documents filed with the court, Hose was identified as an organizer of a drug trafficking conspiracy, distributing illicit narcotics to others out of his Bunker Hill residence. Lopp and Baker were distributors selling illicit narcotics throughout Berkeley, Hampshire, and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle region of West Virginia.

     When sentenced, Hose faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison and at least three years of supervised release. Lopp and Baker each face up to 20 years in federal prison and at least three years of supervised release. The actual term of imprisonment at sentencing will be determined by a U.S. District Court Judge based on the seriousness of the offenses and Hose’s, Lopp’s, and Baker’s prior criminal history, if any.