Chelyan man pleads guilty to trafficking drugs from Ohio

A Kanawha County man is facing up to a lifetime in prison after a drug trafficking investigation revealed about 17 pounds of methamphetamine were brought into West Virginia from out-of-state. Tracey Brown of Chelyan pleaded guilty this week to distributing 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Prosecutors said Brown brought the illegal drugs from Dayton, Ohio, to an Elkview home in December 2023 and admitted to moving about a pound of the methamphetamine and making plans to distribute the rest in southern West Virginia. Brown is scheduled for sentencing on March 12 when he faces a minimum of 10 years and up to a lifetime in prison along with at least five years of supervised release time and a $10 million fine.