Kanawha County man pleads guilty to role in drug trafficking organization

CHARLESTON, WV (WVNS) — A 36-year-old Kanawha County man pleaded guilty to a role in a drug trafficking organization.

According to a press release, Tres Avery Davis, 36, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, September 24, 2024 to possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing fentanyl.

Davis was also one out of 31 defendants who were found guilty for their involvement in Operation Smoke and Mirrors, which is a major drug trafficking investigation where members of law enforcement seized more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms, and $935,000 in cash.

Those involved in the drug trafficking organization transported the drugs, usually several hundred pounds per trip, to southern West Virginia from the West Coast using tractor-trailers. Once the drugs were exchanged for cash, normally hundreds of thousands of dollars, the money was then taken to California.

Investigators followed the trail of methamphetamine being sold here in Charleston and traced it all the way back to Los Angeles, California, and our southern border. The investigation revealed this organization was bringing methamphetamine across our southern border on pallets containing hundreds of pounds at a time.

United States Attorney Will Thompson

The press release stated that the drug shipments that were sent to West Virginia involved around 196 pounds of methamphetamine and four kilograms of cocaine being transported from California to the Bluefield area of Mercer County by Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr. in March 2023.

Gonzalez got a box that was thought to have around $400,000 in exchange for the drug shipment, however he was later pulled over by law enforcement, and the truck and trailer were seized.

30-year-old Ildiberto Gonzalez Jr., of of San Bernadino, California, was sentenced on July 22, 2024, to 14 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a quantity of methamphetamine.

Gonzalez acknowledged his role in the March 2023 delivery under the direction of his co-conspirator, Alejandro Gallegos , and that in January 2023, he was also involved in other drug shipments for Gallegos.

42-year-old Alejandro Gallegos, also known as “Alex,” “Rooster,” “G” and “Primo,” of Hacienda Heights, California, pleaded guilty on June 20, 2024 to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and 500 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.

Gallegos’ sentencing is scheduled for October 10, 2024, and he faces at least 10 years to life in prison, a minimum of five years of parole, and a $10 million fine.

Not only did Gallegos send drugs to southern West Virginia, he also sent them to other states such as Georgia and South Carolina.

For the purpose of sentencing, Mr. Gallegos is personally responsible for more damage done to our communities by methamphetamine than any other single defendant who has ever appeared in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.

United States Attorney Will Thompson

Operation Smoke and Mirrors marked the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history, however the FBI’s work, and that of our local, state, and federal partners, is far from finished. Today’s sentencing sends a message. To those who think southern West Virginia can be a place to traffic dangerous drugs, know that we are using every tool at our disposal to rid our communities of these substances. Our neighborhoods, businesses, schools, and streets deserve to be free of this poison, and the men and women of the FBI remain fiercely committed to that mission.

Kevin Rojek | FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge

According to the press release, as a part of the guilty plea, Davis revealed that he transported around 2,000 blue pills containing fentanyl to a house on Kemp Avenue in the Charleston area of Kanawha County on March 7, 2023, and that he planned to distribute some of the pills.

Davis’ sentencing is scheduled for January 9, 2025, and he faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison, a minimum of eight years of parole, and an $8 million fine.

Other defendants who were sentenced as a part of Operation Smoke and Mirrors include:

• 39-year-old Jasper Wemh, of Charleston, was sentenced to 16 years and eight months in prison on May 2, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
• 41-year-old Michael Allen Roberts Jr., of St. Albans, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on March 6, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine.
• 42-year-old Justin Allen Bowen, of Charleston, was sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison on August 31, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
• 30-year-old Perry Johnson Jr., of Dunwoody, Georgia, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on April 11, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
• 58-year-old Todd Tyler Snead, of Waynesboro, Virginia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on September 6, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
• 47-year-old Ryan Keith Kincaid, of South Charleston, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on December 8, 2023, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine.

The announcement was made by United States Attorney will Thompson, who thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the West Virginia National Guard Counter Drug Program, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Charleston Police Department, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Office for their work on the investigation.

Law enforcement agencies that make up the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT) include the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

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