Huntington man pleads guilty to fentanyl crime (DOJ)

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - Nigel Jamille Coats, 22, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of quantities of fentanyl.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 13, 2025, Coats sold approximately 22 grams of fentanyl to a confidential informant in exchange for $1,200 in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Coats admitted to the transaction and further admitted to selling approximately 18.12 grams of fentanyl on November 6, 2025, and approximately 18.12 grams of fentanyl on December 31, 2025, each time to a confidential informant in exchange for $1,200. On January 6, 2026, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Coats' Huntington residence and seized approximately 18 grams of fentanyl.

Coats also admitted to arranging the sale of approximately 21.57 grams of fentanyl by co-defendant Wesley Tramaine Cornish to a confidential informant in exchange for $1,200 on December 16, 2025.

Coats is scheduled to be sentenced on January 11, 2027, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.

Cornish, 22, of Huntington, pleaded guilty on August 31, 2026, to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of fentanyl and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2027.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Huntington Police Department, and the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah N. Hudson and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department's commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump's Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

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. 3:26-cr-22.

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Updated September 14, 2026