Philadelphia Man Sentenced for Work in Drug Trafficking Operation

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA - A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania man was sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking organization that distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine in the Northern District of West Virginia, U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey announced.

Ryan Rasheed Shaw, 29, was sentenced to 240 months in prison. Shaw was the point of contact in West Virginia for the operation led by Rodney Johnson in Philadelphia. Shaw was managing the drug business in Morgantown, supplying significant quantities of illicit drugs to local dealers. Shaw was responsible for nearly 3.2 kilograms of methamphetamine and 379 grams of fentanyl.

Johnson, the leader of the drug operation, received an 188-month prison sentence in March of 2025. To date all 24 defendants in the case have been convicted and 18 defendants, including Shaw, have been sentenced thus far.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

This case was investigated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The task force consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff's Office; the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney's Office; the Morgantown Police Department; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department; and the Star City 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.

Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.