Evergreen Reporter

Four individuals have been sentenced for methamphetamine trafficking in the Northern District of West Virginia.

Terry Lee Mason, Jr., 37, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, received a sentence of 324 months for possession with intent to distribute 50 or more grams of crystal methamphetamine. Robert Joseph Wilson, III, 38, of Hagerstown, Maryland, was sentenced to 300 months for aiding and abetting the distribution of five grams or more of methamphetamine. According to court documents, Mason, also known as “TJ,” and Wilson, also known as “Robbie,” collaborated with others to sell methamphetamine in Berkeley County.

Brenda Sams, 44, of Petersburg, West Virginia, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine. Court documents and statements indicated that Sams sold methamphetamine in Grant County and has prior drug convictions in the Northern District of West Virginia as well as state drug and theft convictions.

Melinda Kay Zirbs, 57, of Elkins, West Virginia, was sentenced to 56 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents and statements made in court, Zirbs was under investigation for drug trafficking when officers seized methamphetamine and more than $20,000 from her home.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle Kane and Stephen Warner prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.

The investigations were conducted by multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Maryland State Police; the Hagerstown Police Department; the Martinsburg Police Department; the Drug Enforcement Administration; several narcotics task forces funded by HIDTA initiatives; and various local law enforcement departments.

U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided over Mason's and Wilson's sentencings while Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided over Sams' and Zirbs' hearings.

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