Although the synthetic drug problem in North Central West Virginia isn’t nearly as pronounced as it was just a few years ago when Clarksburg was the site for one of the largest drug raids ever on the product, the adjudication of individuals that were previously involved in the trade continued this week.

 

On Monday, 54-year-old John R. Burrows of Weston was sentenced to 60 months in federal prison. Burrows, whose case had nothing to do with the massive synthetic drug bust in Clarksburg in 2012, pled guilty in November of 2015 to one count of “Distribution of a Schedule I Drug – Controlled Substance,” and one count of “Structuring Transactions to Evade Reporting Requirement,” according to the office of United States Attorney William J. Ihlenfeld.

 

Multiple agencies were involved in the case against Burrows. Among the groups leading the inquiry were the West Virginia State Police and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation. The IRS branch involved has a location in Bridgeport that cooperated in the case and worked with various agencies to reach Monday’s conclusion. And, Washington DC Field Office Special Agent in Charge Thomas Jankowski had words of praise for the efforts out of that office.

“Yesterday’s sentencing brings to a conclusion the adjudication of yet another distributor of synthetic cannabinoids in North Central West Virginia,” said Jankowski.  “I am proud of the partnership my Bridgeport office has forged with the West Virginia State Police and the DEA, as well as the other federal and local officers.  IRS-CI will continue to contribute our expertise as forensic accountants to combat the ongoing problem of drug distribution in your communities. 

 

“Mr. Burrows will serve a lengthy period of incarceration, and the assets he acquired from the drug distribution proceeds have been identified, seized and forfeited,” Jankowski continued. “This local drug trafficking organization has been successfully dismantled.”

 

Prior to the dismantling, Burrows was determined to have sold a synthetic cannabinoid known as AM-2201 in a package labeled “Crown Worthy.” The matter happened in April 2014 and, according to Ihlenfeld’s office, when Burrows was “depositing proceeds from the sale of these drugs into his bank accounts, he structured those deposits so as to avoid the reporting requirements of the Internal Revenue Service.”

 

The synthetic drug situation, or “bath salts,” in the area became well known during the April 2012 raid on “Hot Stuff and Cool Things” and its Harrison County location at the Rosebud Plaza in Clarksburg. There was also a location raided in Upshur County that same April day. Prior to the raid, Ihlenfeld said the business was making $14,000 a day. He called it a “multi-million dollar operation.” Individuals involved in that case have been prosecuted.

 

Monday’s case by the government was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McWilliams.