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Waynesboro man sentenced in largest meth seizure in West Virginia history

Crystal Graham
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(© Darwin Brandis – stock.adobe.com)

A Waynesboro man was sentenced Wednesday for his role in a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Charleston, W.Va. area.

Todd Tyler Snead, 57, will serve 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence.

According to court documents, beginning in October 2022, Snead transported one pound per month from West Virginia to Virginia as part of the conspiracy.

On March 14, 2023, Snead traveled from Virginia to Saint Albans, W.Va., to obtain four pounds of methamphetamine from a co-defendant. Law enforcement officers followed Snead back to a hotel in Cross Lanes, where they searched the trunk of his vehicle, found the methamphetamine and arrested him.

Snead has a criminal history that includes a prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia on Dec. 13, 2006.

Snead is among 30 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized more than 200 pounds of methamphetamine as well as 28 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of fentanyl, 18 firearms and $747,000 in cash.

Nineteen of the defendants have pleaded guilty.

Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.

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Crystal Graham

Crystal Graham

A 1999 graduate of Virginia Tech, Crystal Graham has worked for 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, both broadcast on PBS. Her work on "Virginia Tonight" earned her a national Telly award for excellence in television. You can reach her at [email protected]

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