Greenbriar Drug Dealer Sentenced to 40 Years In Prison With 7 Years To Serve
On August 26, 2015, Melena Deel, age 40, of the Greenbriar area, pled guilty in the Buchanan County Circuit Court to one count of Distribution of Schedule I/II Controlled Substance, and one count of Distribution of Schedule III Controlled Substance. The Court sentenced her to forty years in prison with 33 years of that sentence suspended on the condition that she serve 7 years in prison, and upon her release, successfully complete seven years of active supervised probation.
The Commonwealth’s evidence showed that Deel was previously convicted of robbery and was now before the Court for charges of selling Suboxone, Morphine, and Oxycodone to an undercover confidential informant.
When asked for comment, Commonwealth’s Attorney Gerald Arrington stated, “when I took office I promised the citizens of Buchanan County that I would take a tough stand against people who poison our community by dealing drugs. The sentence that Ms. Deel received today will give her 7 years to consider the consequences of her actions. Following her release from prison, Deel will be under the scrutiny of the Court for another 7 years while on probation, ensuring that for the next 14 years, the community will no longer be harmed by Ms. Deel’s criminal activities.” Arrington went on to praise the work of the 29th narcotics task force for their work in this case.
