WHEELING, W.Va. (AP) - Five people have been convicted of participating in a prescription painkiller ring in the Northern Panhandle.
U.S. Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld II’s office said Monday that 44-year-old Julia Joseph of Van Nuys, Calif., and 49-year-old Diane Savage, 29-year-old Alisha Letts and 54-year-old Rocque Garcia, all of Moundsville, pleaded guilty last week to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone.
A federal jury convicted 59-year-old Rocci Wade of Moundsville on oxycodone distribution and conspiracy charges.
Prosecutors say large quantities of oxycodone pills were shipped over a three-year period from California to Moundsville, where they were redistributed.
Wade faces up to 40 years in prison. The other defendants each face up to 20 years in prison.
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