CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas Kleeh sentenced a Preston County man to nearly six years (70 months) in federal prison for his role in methamphetamine, crack cocaine, fentanyl and heroin drug distribution operation, United States Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced.
David Gamble, 58, of Masontown, pleaded guilty in February 2022 to one count of “Aiding and Abetting Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.” Gamble admitted to working with others to distribute methamphetamine in April 2020 in Monongalia County.
Gamble was one of 25 people indicted in October 2020 for their roles in a Texas to Morgantown drug operation. Several of Jasmine’s co-defendants have previously pleaded guilty in the case. For more coverage on the drug ring, click here.
Gamble initially faced up to 20 years behind bars. He remains in the Tygart Valley Regional Jail awaiting a transfer to a federal facility.
The FBI’s Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force investigated the case. The task forces have members from the FBI; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; and, the Morgantown, WVU, Granville and Star City police departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston; the Houston Police Department’s Multi Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and, the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.