Beckley Convicted Drug Dealer Sentenced For Meth Distribution

Wednesday, August 20, 2025, 10:30 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News, 

BECKLEY, W.VA.- A 43-year-old Beckley, West Virginia, man and local drug dealer will be spending nearly eight years in federal prison after being sentenced yesterday for distributing methamphetamine in Beckley, West Virginia.

     According to Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston, on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Leondus Whittenburg, 43, of Beckley, West Virginia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk to 95 months in federal prison, to be followed by three years of supervided release, after previously pleading guilty to Distribution of 5 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine.

     According to charging documents filed with the District Court, on December 6, 2023,  during an ongoing narcotics investigation into the distribution of controlled substances within Beckley, West Virginia, Whittenburgh sold 320 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in the parking lot of a Beckley, West Virginia business.

In Handing Down The Sentence, Judge Volk Noted Whittenburg’s Extensive Criminal History

     In handing down the sentence on Tuesday, Judge Volk noted Whittenburg’s prior criminal history, including multiple felony convictions, including drug trafficking in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Whittenburg Was Among Four Defendants Charged

     According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Whittenburg was among four individuals who were charged and have pleaded guilty in the case. Phillip Gray, 42, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and John Gray, 39, also of Oak Hill, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to distribution of a quantity of methamphetamine, and both have been scheduled to be sentenced on September 24, 2025.

     Daemien Thompson, 39, of Oak Hill, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and has been scheduled to be sentenced on September 26, 2025.

     Acting U.S. Attorney Johnston commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the West Virginia State Police, and the Central Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force.