Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – James Richard Mathis, 30, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty on Thursday, February 5, 2026, to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on August 3, 2024, Mathis possessed over 90 grams of methamphetamine and over 20 grams of fentanyl in or near Dunbar, West Virginia, that he intended to distribute.

Mathis is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), which is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-87.

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