A Philadelphia man described as the leader of a multi-state organized drug trafficking business, which included a drug house in Martinsburg, W.Va., was sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
Christopher Arthur Jones, 39, also known as "Smooth," will be on supervised release for 15 years after serving his prison sentence, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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Jones pleaded guilty in federal court a year ago to racketeering enterprise (RICO) conspiracy and fentanyl distribution charges.
When the indictments were announced in October 2020 in connection with the drug trafficking operation, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Randolph Bernard said at a Martinsburg news conference that the group distributed about 15 kilograms of fentanyl.
To put that in perspective, Bernard said, that is "enough to kill the population of West Virginia twice over."
Jones was the leader of the 19th Street Enterprise, directing members to "sell drugs, commit acts of violence, launder money and commit fraud in West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware," according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. While the business was based in Philadelphia, Jones had drug houses in Martinsburg and elsewhere.
He previously agreed to forfeit proceeds from the crimes and his Philadelphia property, which was used as a stash house.
In addition to forfeiture, restitution of $10,345 was ordered, according to Jones' federal case docket.
Robbing homes to help fund criminal operation
Testimony provided last year before a U.S. Magistrate judge in Martinsburg included that Jones ordered armed robberies at Maryland and West Virginia residences to help fund the enterprise, according to an earlier release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
A Martinsburg home was robbed as well as one in Chestertown in Kent County on Maryland's Eastern Shore, a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office has said.
"Homeowners were targeted because of perceived wealth," an earlier release states.
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A superseding indictment filed in October 2022 noted that members of the enterprise possessed firearms, knives and cellphone jammers for robberies.
Jones also committed COVID fraud by receiving relief funds under false pretenses, the earlier release states.
Details about drug operation in RICO case
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the criminal organization was selling an estimated 100 grams of fentanyl a week and laundering at least $500 a day from a house on Crooked Way, which is southeast of Martinsburg.
Jones' plea regarding possession with intent to distribute involves 400 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, according to the plea agreement.
The updated indictment from October 2022 states the criminal enterprise's members and associates possessed various drugs with the intent to distribute them. Those drugs included heroin, fentanyl, cocaine base or crack, coke, K2 or spice, and PCP.
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The U.S. Attorney's Office has previously said there were 21 other co-defendants indicted in October 2020 in the case. Those co-defendants included people from the Martinsburg, Hedgesville and Harpers Ferry areas in West Virginia as well as several people from Philadelphia and a defendant from Wilmington, Del. Eight of the defendants were from Berkeley County.
The Eastern Panhandle Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia Air National Guard, the FBI, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Department of Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.
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