Chicago man sentenced for drug crimes in Raleigh County

BECKLEY, WV (WVNS) — A Chicago man was sentenced to prison for federal drug crimes in Raleigh County.

On Friday, May 24, 2024, 36-year-old Rory Divaughn Spells, of Chicago, Illinois, was sentenced to 11 years and seven months in prison, followed by three years of parole, for possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and a quantity of methamphetamine.

According to statements made in court, members of law enforcement carried out a search warrant on September 28, 2022 at a house near the Beckley area of Raleigh County. During the search, officers found $8,245, quantities of fentanyl, and a substance that contained methamphetamine.

Spells acknowledged that he was mixing and getting the fentanyl ready for distribution in the kitchen of the house that was searched as a part of the search warrant. He also revealed that the money was from prior drug trafficking activity.

34-year-old Lorenzo B. Herbert, of Beckley, was sentenced on March 14, 2024. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, followed by four years of parole. Herbert was Spells’ co-defendant, and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney will Thompson, who thanked the the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, the Chicago Police Department, FBI Chicago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) for their work on the investigation.

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