Two Individuals Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug and Gun Crimes

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two of the 15 individuals charged as a result of the long-term investigation dubbed the “Woo Boyz” have been sentenced to federal prison for federal drug and gun crimes. Erica Ratliff, 36, of Charleston, was sentenced to six years in prison for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine. Devonte Andrews, 28, of Charleston, was sentenced to 37 months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

According to court documents, Ratliff met her drug source of supply at the Family Dollar store on Bigley Avenue on November 24, 2020 and purchased three ounces of methamphetamine. After Ratliff left the parking lot of the Family Dollar store, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop on her vehicle.  The officers recovered the methamphetamine that Ratliff had just purchased as well as other controlled substances she had on her person.  Ratliff admitted that she intended to distribute the methamphetamine.

Court documents indicate that Andrews was walking on Hale Street on January 24, 2021 when he was stopped by officers with the Charleston Police Department. At the time, Andrews had a loaded Taurus PT 738 .380 ACP firearm behind his back.  Andrews admitted that he has a 2016 felony conviction for distribution of heroin and is prohibited from possessing firearms.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charleston Police Department, the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the U.S. Marshals Service and the West Virginia State Police. 

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence.  Assistant United States Attorney Monica D. Coleman handled the prosecutions.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations, and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.