CLARKSBURG, W.Va. – A Morgantown woman has admitted to a federal drug distribution charge, Acting United States Attorney Randolph Bernard announced.

Morgan Janes, 23, pleaded guilty Tuesday, in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Aloi, to one count of “Distribution of Cocaine Base.” Janes admitted to selling cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in February 2020 in Monongalia County.

Janes faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $1,000,000.

Janes was one of 25 people indicted, in October 2020, for their roles in a Texas to Morgantown drug ring.

The FBI’s Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, investigated the case. The task forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; and, the Morgantown, WVU, Granville and Star City police departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston; the Houston Police Department’s Multi Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.