Ohio County Man Admits to Role in Ohio Valley Drug Trafficking Operation

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA - Steven Aldridge, 27, of Wheeling, West Virginia, has admitted to conspiring to sell large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine.

Aldridge entered a guilty plea today to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of cocaine. According to court documents, Aldridge was working with others in a drug trafficking operation that spanned from Las Vegas, Nevada to the Ohio Valley.

Aldridge faces at least 5 and up to 40 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, Marshall County Drug Task Force, and the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, all HIDTA-funded initiatives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; West Virginia State Police; Wheeling Police Department; Ohio County Sheriff's Office; and the Belmont County Sheriff's Office investigated.

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

Press release on the associated case: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-twenty-six-drug-trafficking