BY ROGER SMITH
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A Kanawha County man was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for his role in a drug trafficking organization that operated in the Charleston area.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ryan Keith Kincaid, 46, of South Charleston, admitted he conspired with other individuals to distribute quantities of cocaine in the Charleston area in March 2023.
A search of Kincaid’s apartment netted approximately 11 ounces of cocaine, used drug packaging consistent with approximately 26 kilograms of cocaine, a loaded pistol and over $400,000 in cash. Kincaid was ultimately responsible for trafficking 112 kilograms of cocaine that would have earned him over $3 million.
Kincaid is among 32 individuals indicted as a result of Operation Smoke and Mirrors, a major drug trafficking investigation that has yielded the largest methamphetamine seizure in West Virginia history. Law enforcement seized well over 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and $935,000 in cash.
Kincaid and 24 other defendants have pleaded guilty. Indictments against the other defendants are pending.
United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 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.
MDENT is composed of 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.
Chief United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is prosecuting the case.