Three More Plead Guilty to Roles in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Today, Talon Aaron McIntosh, also known as “Trey” and “T,” 28, and Mario Alonzo Pettway III, also known as “Mike,” 23, both of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to distribution of a quantity of mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and Ladonna Rae Abner, 49, of Nitro, pleaded guilty to distribution of fentanyl. All three admitted to their roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 3, 2023, McIntosh sold a half-pound of methamphetamine for $1,000 to a confidential in Huntington. McIntosh admitted to that transaction and to selling approximately 439 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $2,000 in Huntington on September 7, 2023.

On October 3, 2023, Pettway sold approximately 2 ounces of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $200 in Nitro. Pettway admitted to that transaction and to selling a total of approximately 8 grams of fentanyl to the confidential informant in St. Albans on three occasions between April 13, 2023, and May 2, 2023. Pettway further admitted to selling approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine to the confidential informant in St. Albans on June 26, 2023.

McIntosh and Pettway admitted that they participated in the DTO from at least February 2023 through November 2023. McIntosh and Pettway also admitted that on August 14, 2023, McIntosh arranged for Pettway to distribute approximately 55 grams of methamphetamine and 3.5 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Huntington.

On October 4, 2023, Abner sold approximately 1 gram of fentanyl for $120 to a confidential informant in Nitro. Abner admitted to that transaction and to selling a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant on October 17, 2023.

On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested McIntosh, Pettway and Abner. Officers also searched Abner’s residence and two other residences in Nitro. Officers seized approximately 3.5 grams of suspect fentanyl at Abner’s residence. Officers found additional amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl and 11 firearms and ammunition at the second Nitro residence. Pettway admitted to possessing the firearms and to intending to sell the methamphetamine and fentanyl seized at that residence. Officers seized approximately 206 grams of methamphetamine and a Ruger LCP .380-caliber pistol and ammunition at the third Nitro residence. McIntosh admitted that he and others used that residence to store and distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

McIntosh and Pettway are scheduled to be sentenced on June 3, 2024, and Abner is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2024. Each faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

McIntosh, Pettway and Abner are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia. Three other defendants have pleaded guilty. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

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. 3:23-cr-180.

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