DOJ Seal

Department of Justice

U.S. Attorney's Office
Southern District of West Virginia

For Immediate Release

Monday, November 7, 2022
William S. Thompson
, United States Attorney

Detroit Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Key Role in Methamphetamine Trafficking Ring

Sentencing is Major Milestone in “Woo Boyz” Investigation; Two Defendants Remain at Large

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Myreo Dixon, 33, of Detroit, Michigan, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release, for his key role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) with ties to the Bloods and Gangster Disciples criminal gangs.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from July 2020 until February 2021, Dixon participated in the DTO responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Charleston area. Dixon had methamphetamine brought from Los Angeles to Detroit and then to West Virginia. Dixon admitted to using co-defendant Kassie McNeeley during the summer of 2020 to transport prepackaged quantities of methamphetamine from Detroit to Charleston on at least five occasions. McNeeley delivered the methamphetamine at Dixon’s direction to another co-defendant, Maylik Watson, in exchange for money. McNeeley provided Dixon with the money she received for delivering the methamphetamine.

The court attributed 50 pounds of the methamphetamine distributed by the DTO to Dixon. Dixon admitted that he provided McNeeley with 8 pounds of methamphetamine on January 9, 2021, and directed her to deliver it to Watson in Charleston. Law enforcement officers stopped McNeeley after the delivery and seized approximately $31,590 that she received from Watson in exchange for the methamphetamine.

Dixon pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. McNeeley and 10 other individuals pleaded guilty in connection with this prosecution, the result of an investigation dubbed “Woo Boyz.” During the course of the nearly year-long investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 15 pounds of methamphetamine, 45 firearms, including an IMI Industries Uzi fully automatic 9mm submachine gun, and more than $375,000 in cash.

Federal law requires that fully automatic firearms not in the possession or under the control of the U.S. Government be registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. Defendant Memphis Ross, 21, of Charleston, admitted that he brought the IMI Uzi 9mm submachine gun to his mother’s Charleston residence, where it was found by law enforcement officers on July 26, 2020. Ross pleaded guilty to possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him.

With Monday’s sentencing, all defendants charged in the original indictment have been convicted except for two who remain at large: Tyjaha Watson, 27, of Charleston, and Elijah Figg, 23, of Huntington.

“Members of this DTO were involved in or suspected of numerous shootings around Charleston but particularly on the West Side,” said U.S. Attorney Will Thompson. “This investigation removed a massive amount of drugs and firearms from our streets and eliminated them as a source of harm and violence. I commend the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) for their investigative work. I also commend and the U.S. Marshals Service, the West Virginia State Police, and the Appalachia High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) for providing assistance in this case. Finally, I commend Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman for the successful prosecution of this case.”

“If you’re trading in violence and slinging poison in our communities, your days are numbered… We are coming after you, wherever you are,” said Special Agent in Charge Todd Scott, head of DEA’s Louisville Division.  “I’m very proud of the work done in this case by the dedicated men and women of DEA and all of our law enforcement partners.  Charleston is a safer city today and another violent drug offender is behind bars.”

“Charleston and the surrounding communities feel the impact of illegal drug distribution and gun crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Shawn Morrow of ATF’s Louisville Division.  “I hope the message is clear today: ATF, DEA, and our law enforcement partners refuse to let drug dealers take hold of our neighborhoods. Together, we are committed to holding criminals accountable for violence and drug trafficking as we work to keep West Virginia safe.”

Eleven other defendants were sentenced to the following prison terms after pleading guilty to various felony offenses:

  • Maylik Watson, also known as Leak, 29, of Charleston, to 20 years and one month for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine;
  • Dante Williams, also known as Donz, 25, of Charleston, to 10 years for distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine;
  • Jermaine Williams, also known as Maineo Duckieoo, 22, of Charleston, to seven years and three months for distribution of methamphetamine;
  • Darius Coles, also known as D-Boy, to six years and six months for distribution of methamphetamine;
  • Erica Ratliff, 38, of Charleston, to six years for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine;
  • Joshua Lawson, 31, of Charleston, to five years for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine;
  • Jaquan Jeremiah Wright, 23, of New York, to five years for being a person subject to a domestic violence protective order in possession of a firearm;
  • Memphis Ross, 21, of Charleston, to three years and 10 months for possession of a fully automatic machine gun that was not registered to him;
  • Devonte Lavauhn Andrews, 30, of Charleston, to three years and one month for being a felon in possession of a firearm;
  • William Edward Byers II, 46, of Charleston, to three years for being a felon in possession of a firearm;
  • Kassie McNeeley, 23, of Lesage, to two years for  use of a telephone to facilitate drug trafficking.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed today’s sentence.

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 Nos. 2:21-cr-32, 2:21-cr-33, 2:21-cr-39, 2:21-cr-46, and 2:21-cr-47. 

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Louisville Field Division