A Pittsburgh man who prosecutors say moved fentanyl into Clarksburg as part of a wider trafficking network has been sentenced to just over three years in federal prison. Queshawn Williams, 21, received a 41-month term after a series of controlled buys with a confidential informant, according to authorities. Investigators say he distributed more than 13 grams of fentanyl and more than 4 grams of p-fluorofentanyl during the operation.
According to WDTV, Williams, who also goes by "TJ," sold the drugs to a confidential informant on multiple occasions. Four other defendants tied to the same investigation have already pleaded guilty and are waiting to learn their own sentences. The television station reports that Williams was sentenced in federal court in Clarksburg.
Williams previously pleaded guilty in April 2025 to distributing p-fluorofentanyl and fentanyl, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of West Virginia. That release credits the Greater Harrison Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, with investigating the case and lists Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Cogar as the prosecutor.
Why Small Quantities Are So Dangerous
Fentanyl and related analogs such as p-fluorofentanyl pack an outsized punch. Federal testing has found that many counterfeit pills contain potentially lethal doses, a grim reminder that it does not take much to tip into tragedy. The DEA notes that two milligrams of fentanyl, roughly the size of a pencil tip, can be a potentially deadly dose. CDC reporting shows that synthetic opioids now account for the majority of overdose deaths across the country.
Prosecution and What Comes Next
Prosecutors had previously outlined statutory penalties that could have kept Williams locked up far longer, but the court ultimately settled on a 41-month sentence. Four co-defendants have already pleaded guilty and are awaiting their own sentencing hearings while investigators continue to pursue additional members of the trafficking network, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Local officials say the case highlights how even small stashes of pressed or cut pills can drive lethal overdoses in smaller communities. Anyone with information related to the investigation is encouraged to contact the Northern District of West Virginia's U.S. Attorney's Office. People seeking help for substance use can look to national public-health hotlines for treatment referrals and support.
