Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Robert Sanders Jr., 30, of Ashland, Kentucky, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana in Parkersburg and elsewhere.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Sanders admitted to supplying co-defendants Matthew Edward Depew and Carlo Ramsey with methamphetamine that Depew and Ramsey redistributed in the Parkersburg area between June 2021 and September 2021. During this same time period, another co-defendant, Floyd Dermonta Ramsey, supplied the DTO with fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana that originated in Chicago, Illinois.

Sanders pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. The other defendants were sentenced to the following prison terms after pleading guilty to felony offenses:

• Carlo Ramsey, 57, of Chicago, Illinois, to nine years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine;
• Matthew Edward DePew, 31, of Zanesville, Ohio, to five years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine;
• Era Dawn Corder, 47, of Parkersburg, to three years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine;
• Floyd Dermonta Ramsey, 42, of Chicago, Illinois, to three years for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and marijuana;
• Ambera Roberts, 35, of Parkersburg, to one year and six months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

The case resulted from a nearly year-long investigation dubbed “Long Time Coming.” The investigation also yielded more than a dozen arrests on state criminal complaints in Wood County.

“This successful prosecution dismantled a drug trafficking organization that inflicted much harm on this community,” said United States Attorney Will Thompson. “The dedication and teamwork evident in this case underscores our resolve to prevent overdoses and protect lives.”

Thompson commended the excellent investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force (PNTF), the Parkersburg Police Department, the West Virginia State Police, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Vienna Police Department, the Williamstown Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Boyd County, Kentucky, Sheriff’s Department, the Russell, Kentucky, Police Department and the Raceland, Kentucky, Police Department.

“I also commend Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe, who prosecuted the case,” Thompson said.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the 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 No. 2:21-cr-163.