Elkins Man Sentenced For Role In Drug Trafficking Organization

Saturday, February 15, 2025, 6:45 A.M. ET. 1 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

CLARKSBURG, W.VA.- A 42-year-old Elkins, West Virginia, man will be spending the next six and a half years in federal prison after being sentenced for his part in a years-long drug trafficking operation that was responsible for distributing large quantities of illicit narcotics throughout the Monongalia County, West Virginia area.

     On Thursday, February 13, 2025, Joshua Noel, 42, of Elkins, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas S. Kleeh to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release for his plea to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.

According To Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Randolph J. Bernard and charging documents filed with the District Court, during a narcotics investigation, investigators identified Noel as a member of a drug trafficking organization operating in the Monongalia County, West Virginia area. The organization was responsible for distributing large quantities of illicit controlled substances for over six years in the Northern District of West Virginia.

     The narcotics organization, with its ties to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, would transport five to ten pounds of methamphetamine from Philadelphia into Morgantown, West Virginia, during each trip.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Bernard commended the investigative work of the Mon Metro Drug Task Force for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Noel.