BECKLEY, W.VA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - West Virginia, Southern), published as received.

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Kyle L. Thomas, also known as “Trip,” 23, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to one year and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on October 18, 2021, Thomas sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant in Amigo, Raleigh County. Thomas sold quantities of fentanyl on two other occasions in Raleigh County.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit (BRCDVCU).

United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

The case is a result of a months-long investigation, dubbed “Operation Wolverine Carousel,” into the widespread distribution of heroin and fentanyl in Raleigh and Fayette counties.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF 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. Today, 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. 5:22-cr-29.

###