Mercer County Man Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Austin Pannell, 26, of Bluefield, pleaded guilty today to distribution of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 18, 2022, Pannell sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant outside of a Princeton apartment. Pannell admitted to that transaction and further admitted to selling additional quantities of fentanyl to a confidential informant on three other occasions in Princeton and Bluefield between July 12, 2022, and August 18, 2022.

Pannell is scheduled to be sentenced on April 8, 2024, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Southern Regional Drug and Violent Crime Task Force. The task force consists of members of the West Virginia State Police, the Bluefield Police Department, the Princeton Police Department, the Mercer County Sheriff’s Department, the McDowell County Sheriff’s Department, and the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:23-cr-109. 

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