Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – James Garner, also known as “Jake,” 35, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today to distribution of 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. Garner admitted to a role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Huntington area.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 17, 2025, Garner sold approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $350. As part of his guilty plea, Garner admitted that co-defendant Joshua Willie McCarver directed the confidential informant to a Baer Street residence in Huntington, where Garner sold the methamphetamine to the confidential informant.

Garner also admitted to the following criminal conduct: he sold approximately 51 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $350 on January 22, 2025, and approximately 336 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in exchange for $2,400 on February 21, 2025. Garner admitted that he conducted both transactions at the Baer Street residence, and that McCarver arranged each transaction beforehand and directed the confidential informant to the residence in each instance. On May 31, 2025, law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop in Huntington of a vehicle in which Garner was a passenger. Garner admitted that he exited the vehicle during the traffic stop and discarded a bag containing approximately 459 grams of methamphetamine near the front passenger side of the vehicle. Garner further admitted that he returned to the vehicle when instructed to by an officer, but then fled from the traffic stop on foot and was apprehended after a pursuit. Officers recovered the bag discarded by Garner and a bag containing approximately 49.8 grams of fentanyl in the front passenger floorboard of the vehicle. Garner admitted that he possessed the recovered methamphetamine and fentanyl and intended to distribute the controlled substances for money.

Garner is scheduled to be sentenced on March 16, 2026, and faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at last four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million.

Garner is among 10 defendants indicted on charges alleging they participated in the DTO. Garner and co-defendant Jackie Dwayne Lucas, also known as “Dwayne,” 49, of Huntington, pleaded guilty. The charges against McCarver, also known as “TJ,” 27, of Detroit, Michigan, and the other defendants remain pending. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Cabell County Sheriff's Office, the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, and the Huntington Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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. 3:25-cr-154.

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