Will Thompson Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

‘Operation Smoke And Mirrors’: Largest Methamphetamine Seizure In State History

Illegal drugs seized in the operation include more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and nearly $1 million in cash.

A major illegal drug bust announced Monday includes more than two dozen defendants from West Virginia, Virginia and Georgia who have pleaded guilty to wholesale distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl.

Dubbed “Operation Smoke and Mirrors,’ Southern District U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said dismantling the illegal drug network took unprecedented teamwork by local, state and federal law enforcement.

“That’s the story of this case,” Thompson said. “We’ve gotten past where people used to battle over what’s my turf, not your turf, people are really working together now. We’ve had the FBI and DEA agents working hand in hand, which when they do and then when they pool their resources, we can get incredible results such as this.”

Illegal drugs seized in the operation include more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine, 40 pounds of cocaine, 3 pounds of fentanyl, 19 firearms and nearly $1 million in cash.

Thompson said it has become a law enforcement cliche that drug seizures much less than this would “make a dent” in local supply and demand. He said he wouldn’t be presumptuous, but this bust will “have an impact.”

“You just look at the sheer numbers, the amount that has been taken off the streets,” Thomson said. “We’ve probably saved families, we probably saved people from overdoses. It’s not like you’re taking off a street level drug dealer, he’s replaced the next day. It’s taking some time for these people to get replaced, and we’re working some other operations trying to get the replacements as well. And I think we’re going to be pretty successful on that.”

The announcement comes after the May 2 sentencing of Jasper Wemh, 39, of Charleston, to 16 years and eight months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Wemh is responsible for more than 85 pounds of methamphetamine distributed in 2022. Wemh routinely completed transactions involving multiple pounds at a time, and sold more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine during a single night on Dec. 4, 2022. Wemh stored quantities of methamphetamine, crack and cocaine at a Greenbrier Street residence in Charleston.

Thompson said Wehm was one of a handful of kingpins in a loosely knit network of drug wholesalers.

“There are some significant players,” he said. “This wasn’t one individual, this was a network that worked together. We’re not completely done with all the charges. There are several people who’ve not been to trial yet, but we’ve gotten some significant sentences out of the people who have been found guilty thus far.”

Thompson said “Operation Smoke and Mirrors” is far from finished, and the “final installment will be quite a story.”

Click here for a listing of law enforcement agencies involved and those sent to prison, their charges and sentences.

Crime Survivors, Advocates Honored With Ceremony

A ceremony held Thursday morning in Charleston honored survivors of crimes and their advocates. The annual event featured remarks from U.S. Attorney Will Thompson.

Survivors of crimes and their advocates gathered Thursday morning for a ceremony at the Robert C. Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston.

Held days before the start of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the annual event aims to raise awareness about victims’ rights and grant recognition to the daily resilience of crime survivors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia and Operation Reach Out organized the event. U.S. Attorney Will Thompson honored survivors and those who support them.

“We see the trauma and the lifelong journey of dealing with the tremendous grief and loss,” Thompson said. “We also get to see the strength and tenacity of survivors and families.”

All five current justices of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia — Chief Justice Tim Armstead, Justice Beth Walker, Justice John Hutchison, Justice William Wooton and Justice Haley Bunn — attended Thursday’s ceremony.

During the ceremony, Thompson also presented awards to advocacy groups across the state for their work supporting survivors.

“I look out here, and I see a lot of people representing different roles. I see people who [have] been working with victims for their professional career. Perhaps more importantly, I see victims and I see survivors,” he said. “Take a moment, think about them. I think it shows remarkable strength and courage for the surviving families to come out today.”

Thompson presented awards for excellence in victim advocacy and justice to the following recipients:

The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
Mission West Virginia
YWCA Charleston
An investigative team from Mercer County, which included representatives from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office, Child Protect of Mercer County and the West Virginia Department of Human Services

For more information about national Crime Victims’ Rights Week, visit the United States Office for Victims of Crime’s website.

Jewish Fears, Zero Hate Crime Tolerance Highlight W.Va. Antisemetic Law Enforcement Training

Federal officials say antisemitism in America is up 400 percent since the Hamas-Israel War began a month ago, and West Virginia law enforcement is on high alert.

The U.S. attorneys for the northern and southern districts of West Virginia partnered Monday with the American Jewish Committee and the FBI to conduct antisemitism training for state law enforcement.

In his welcoming remarks, Rabbi Victor Urecki spoke with a voice of fear and a heart of hope. He told those gathered at his B’nai Jacob Temple in Charleston that his once open day and night temple doors, now stayed locked. He said his congregation has endured active shooter training, his temple has security alarms, and there’s now a police presence during the Jewish High Holy Days.

“That is not the way America is,” Urecki said. “I think if we can find the causes of this, find what we can do to tamp down that hate and let it go back down into the ground as opposed to being as violent as we’ve seen it today.”

West Virginia Southern District U.S. Attorney Will Thompson was the training host in Charleston. Northern District U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld joined in virtually from Wheeling. Thompson said this training was planned for months. He said before the war began on Oct. 7, hate crime preparedness was preventive, now it’s alarmingly vital.

“I regret that we still have Nazis as part of our news cycle,” Thompson said. “That’s really sad, but we are seeing it. We want them here to realize what antisemitism is and how to recognize signs of it. People might not realize it, when they first initially see it.”

The FBI is the lead agency for hate crime violations. FBI Agent Tony Rausa referred to a Charleston neighborhood. He said antisemetic red flags can be raised beyond hate inspired rallies.

“There were individuals disseminating some messages of hate along the west side,” Rausa said. “We saw someone dropping leaflets in plastic bags with some material indiscriminately throwing them out across people’s properties. We want to be able to look into that and figure out what’s going on behind the scenes to see if there is a greater message of hate that we’re not seeing on the surface.”

An FBI agent and two law enforcement officers attend antisemitic training.

*Credit: Randy Yohe/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department Captain Eric Drennan said his team is ready in case any hate crime rally might get out of hand.

“People come out and do their protests and are usually well behaved,” Drennan said. “We do have contingency plans in place in case something out of the ordinary would happen.”

All involved in the training said the Jewish defense of Israel is a fight against Hamas terrorism. Thompson said he’s been reaching out to those of the Muslim faith as well, to make sure they are protected. He said West Virginia authorities will have no tolerance of any hate crimes, including Islamophobia.

“This is not a war against the babies of Palestine, the children and families of Palestine,” Thompson said. “This is a war against terrorists. We want to make sure people understand that. We want to make sure all parts of our community live together, work together, prosper together.”

Urecki said he hopes those attending the training here, and joining from around the state virtually, would leave this gathering with a sense of purpose – and hope.

“As members of the Jewish community right now, we’re scared,” Urecki said. “We’re scared from what we’re seeing from the far right and from the far left regarding a dramatic rise of hatred and antisemitism. What we are seeing here today is an outpouring of a sense of responsibility and a sense of urgency that we must try to see what we can do to help create peace among all peoples.”

Both Thompson and Urecki said they were sad that a law enforcement presence was required outside the temple, protecting those attending this training.