Hughes County Resident Sentenced For Federal Drug Crime

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Donald Paul Griggs, age 56, of Holdenville, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 194 months in prison for possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The charges arose from an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Seminole Police Department, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Department, and the Hughes County Sheriff’s Department.

On August 10, 2022, Griggs pleaded guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.  According to investigators, on March 31, 2022, Griggs led law enforcement on a highspeed chase, forced another vehicle off the road, crashed, and attempted to flee on foot.  During the chase, Griggs discarded over 21 pounds of pure methamphetamine before he was apprehended and arrested by officers.

“Those who distribute drugs do so for one purpose, to make a profit,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge, Eduardo A. Chávez, who oversees operations in Oklahoma.  “Today, Mr. Griggs is being held accountable for his actions. The DEA will never stop seeking justice for those who prey on others’ addictions.”

“Methamphetamine continues to plague our communities,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “Drug traffickers transporting and distributing illegal narcotics in the Eastern District will be investigated and aggressively prosecuted.”

The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing in Muskogee.  Griggs will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

Assistant United States Attorney Erin Cornell represented the United States.