Fentanyl Distributors Sentenced to 33 Years in Prison

MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - Four men who sold fentanyl in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia were sentenced to a combined 33 and half years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.

Kentrel Anthony Rollins, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, was sentenced to 138 months in federal prison for possessing fentanyl and a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Rollins, also known as "T-Rock," was the leader of a drug trafficking organization that spanned from Baltimore to Hampshire County, West Virginia. Investigators seized fentanyl, two firearms, rounds of various ammunition, and more than $17,000. Eleven other defendants in this case were convicted and sentenced to a combined 40 years in prison. Read more about the case here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/baltimore-fentanyl-organizations-shut-down-federal-indictments

Jwan Martine Smith, 40, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison. Matthew James Elsea, 43, of Stephenson, Virginia, was sentenced to 87 months. Smith and Elsea were a part of a drug trafficking operation, led by Delano Butler, that distributed large amounts of fentanyl in the Eastern Panhandle. Investigators watched Smith, Elsea, and others transfer items from a stash apartment into vehicles. Officers conducted multiple traffic stops and seized 14 firearms and 30,000-40,000 pressed fentanyl pills. Subsequent searches of other vehicles and properties yielded more fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin, and drug paraphernalia. Total drug weight is nearly 8 pounds of fentanyl and 4.5 grams of methamphetamine. Smith has prior drug and home invasion convictions and was under parole supervision for several prior offenses during the commission of this crime. Butler was convicted of his role in April 2026. He is awaiting sentencing. Read more about this case: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/twenty-five-charged-drug-trafficking-eastern-panhandle

Tyler Lantz Gordon, 34, of Rawlings, Maryland, was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for selling fentanyl near a protected location. Gordon sold fentanyl-laced capsules near West Virginia University Potomac State College. The fentanyl totaled 37 grams, equaling more than 18,000 potentially deadly doses. Gordon has prior drug convictions.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Omps-Botteicher and Kyle Kane prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.

Investigative agencies include the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force and the Potomac Highlands Drug Task Force, both HIDTA-funded initiatives, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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. These cases are 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. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.