Barbour County man sentenced for drug trafficking and firearms charges

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Matthew Scott Upton, of Philippi, West Virginia, was sentenced today to 70 months of incarceration for methamphetamine and firearms charges, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced.

Upton, 41, pled guilty to one count of “Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine” and one count of “Unlawful Possession of a Firearm” in July 2020. Upton, a person prohibited from having firearms because of a prior conviction, admitted to having more than five grams of methamphetamine, also known as “crystal meth” or “ice,” and having a 9mm semi-automatic pistol in September 2018 in Barbour County.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen D. Warner prosecuted the case on behalf of the government. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, & Explosive, the Mountain Region Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, and the Philippi Police Department investigated.

U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.