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Public Safety, Virginia

Federal grand jury indicts nine for role in Southwest Virginia drug operation

Crystal Graham
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A federal grand jury in Abingdon indicted nine individuals charging them with participating in a drug conspiracy that trafficked methamphetamine from North Carolina into Southwest Virginia.

All nine defendants have been arrested and are now in federal custody.

The indictment charges Marcos Adrian Martinez Rodriguez, Nestor Gutierrez-Gonzalez, Isaias Cisneros-Hernandez, Loeum Vinn Tok, Joan Mary Schugardt, Cody Allen Cashatt, Johnie Zeke Derose, April Renae Maness and Richard Wayne Greer.

All nine defendants are charged with one count of conspiring to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Greer is also charged with one count of knowingly using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.

According to court documents, from June to October 2021, the defendants operated a methamphetamine distribution ring in and around Lexington, N.C. During the life of the conspiracy, methamphetamine was transported into Southwest Virginia for distribution.

Joshua Kogod, of Smyth County, was convicted in 2022 for his role in the conspiracy.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

Crystal Abbe Graham is the regional editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, she has worked for nearly 25 years as a reporter and editor for several Virginia publications, written a book, and garnered more than a dozen Virginia Press Association awards for writing and graphic design. She was the co-host of "Viewpoints," a weekly TV news show, and co-host of Virginia Tonight, a nightly TV news show. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television.