Beckley man admits role in drugs bust

BECKLEY, W.Va. (WVVA) – The Department of Justice announced that a Beckley man has pleaded guilty for his role in a drug trafficking organization.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ronald Lavaughn Mason, 46, of Beckley, participated in a drug trafficking organization in April and May of 2024 and worked with others to distribute fentanyl and crack in Beckley and the surrounding area. The Justice Department said Mason admitted to providing others with controlled substances that they then redistributed.

Mason also admitted that he delivered controlled substances to these people and that they went to his home in Beckley at other times.

The Justice Department said that on April 9, Mason sold a half-ounce of a controlled substance to co-defendant Tilford Joe Bradley Jr. while he was in Mason’s vehicle in Beaver. Mason admitted that law enforcement conducting the surveillance saw him meet with Bradley for the transaction and knew that Bradley intended to redistribute controlled substances, the Justice Department said.

On May 30, officers executed a search warrant at Mason’s home and seized 541 grams of cocaine, 381 grams of fentanyl and $10,293, according to the Department of Justice. Mason admitted to possessing the seized controlled substances and intending to distribute them.

Mason will be sentenced on February 14, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a minimum of three years of supervised release and a fine of one million dollars, the Department of Justice said.