West Virginia Residents Admit to Roles in Drug Trafficking Operation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three West Virginia residents have admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking conspiracy operating in the Northern District of West Virginia.

Joshua Noel, 42, of Elkins, West Virginia; Jennifer Clapper, 37, of Morgantown, West Virginia; and Jamie Purtee, 33, of Morgantown, West Virginia, each pled guilty to methamphetamine charges. According to court documents, they were part of a drug trafficking operation working in Monongalia County.

Noel, Clapper, and Purtee each face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.

The Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.