Christopher Anthony O’Dell sentenced to prison on drug crimes

PUTNAM COUNTY , WV (LOOTPRESS) – Christopher Anthony O’Dell, 39, of Hurricane, has been sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for his involvement in the distribution of significant quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.

O’Dell admitted his participation in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia .

From approximately November 2022 through November 2023, O’Dell played a role in the DTO. He confessed to selling around 1.1 grams of fentanyl and 3.5 grams of methamphetamine for $200 to a confidential informant on August 18, 2023, at his residence in Hurricane. O’Dell also admitted to coordinating the transaction via text message with the confidential informant.

The DTO utilized a residence in St. Albans to store and distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine. O’Dell was involved in distributing these substances and transporting individuals from the St. Albans residence to a Ninth Avenue residence in Huntington to receive additional amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine.

Afterward, O’Dell would transport them back to the St. Albans residence. During a traffic stop in St. Albans on August 28, 2023, law enforcement seized approximately 51 grams of fentanyl and two muzzleloading pistols from O’Dell’s vehicle. O’Dell confessed that his co-defendant, Jashawn William Lawson, was a passenger in the vehicle and was in possession of fentanyl intended for distribution in St. Albans.

O’Dell also admitted to possessing the seized firearms. O’Dell and Lawson are two of the 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment charging them with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

Jashawn William Lawson, also known as “Nitty,” 23, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on April 16, 2024, to aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine and is awaiting sentencing. O’Dell and Lawson are among 21 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case.

One other individual among the 27 indicted has pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.