Baltimore man sentenced for role in West Virginia drug trafficking scheme

A Baltimore man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his role in a West Virginia drug trafficking scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. 

Charles Delroy Singletary, 45, was involved in the organization that sold substantial amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine and cocaine in Berkeley and Jefferson counties, court officials said. 

He was one of 81 other defendants named in a 2024 indictment in connection with the operation. Singletary was one of the workers who ensured that drug customers received substances, according to court documents. 

He was a fugitive for one and a half years, during which time he used multiple aliases to avoid detection from law enforcement, court officials said. 

West Virginia drug trafficking operation 

The indictment charged suspects from Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia with drug trafficking. 

According to charging documents, 38-year-old Gary Bernard Brown, Jr. of Baltimore supplied others with fentanyl powder and pill to distribute in West Virginia. 

During the investigation, law enforcement officers recovered 10 kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine, firearms and hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets, according to court documents. 

All of the 82 defendants have been convicted and 81 have been sentenced, as of Dec. 9. 

Drug trafficking investigations 

There have been similar drug trafficking busts in the past few months in Maryland. 

In November, nine people were indicted in connection with a drug trafficking scheme that distributed cocaine between Maryland and Texas. 

The indictment came after the Baltimore County Police Narcotics Unit began investigating a group in January 2025. The investigation revealed that the group was using multiple stash locations in Southeast Baltimore and in Baltimore County. 

Members of the group were arrested after detectives witnessed new shipments of drugs arriving at the stash houses, court officials said. 

Earlier in November, a man was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in a  similar drug trafficking scheme that operated in the Baltimore area.