Two Admit to Selling Fentanyl, Methamphetamine Near Schools, Playground

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Two men have admitted to trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine near protected locations in Wheeling, West Virginia, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

Jason Hill, 42, of Cleveland, Ohio, pleaded guilty to the distribution of heroin and fentanyl within 1,000 feet of a protected location. According to court documents, Hill, also known as "Tay," was selling the drugs near Wheeling Central Catholic High School and West Virginia Northern Community College. He's facing one to 40 years in prison.

In a separate case, Matthew Luff, 41, of Wheeling, West Virginia, pleaded guilty to the distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine within 1,000 feet of a protected location. According to court documents, Luff sold more than 13 grams of methamphetamine near Heritage Port Playground in Wheeling. Luff is facing 5 to 40 years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Clayton Reid is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.

Investigative agencies the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; and the Wheeling Police Department.

Fentanyl has been designated by President Donald Trump as a weapon of mass destruction due to its extreme lethality which poses a grave threat to public safety, even in trace amounts. This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime, and repel the invasion of illegal immigration.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.