Ohio Man Sentenced to More than 11 Years in Prison for Fentanyl Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Timothy Edwin Payne Jr., 43, of Belpre, Ohio, was sentenced today to 11 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 4, 2022, Payne arranged for a package containing approximately 1 kilogram of a fentanyl analogue to be shipped through the United States Mail from California to an apartment in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Payne paid the apartment’s resident $1,000 to receive and hold the package for Payne.

Law enforcement officers intercepted the package before it arrived at the apartment, and replaced the fentanyl with a sham substance and a tracking device before the package was delivered to the apartment. Payne tracked the package’s delivery using his mobile phone, and went to the apartment when the package arrived there on April 8, 2022. When Payne opened the package, law enforcement officers knocked on the apartment door. Payne attempted to flee but was arrested. The intercepted package was part of a series of packages that had been shipped from California to the same apartment in Parkersburg, and those packages were also suspected to contain controlled substances. 

Payne has a long criminal history that includes three prior felony convictions, including for a drug offense, and 11 misdemeanor convictions.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force, and the Parkersburg Police Department.

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy B. Wolfe and Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted 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. 2:22-cr-108.

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