Kanawha County Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug Crime

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Austin Joseph Griffith, 22, of Hernshaw, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for distributing 50 grams or more or methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Griffith admitted that he sold approximately 560 grams of methamphetamine for $4,000 to a confidential informant at his Hernshaw residence on December 13, 2021. Griffith sold quantities of fentanyl to a confidential informant at the same location on two separate occasions in March 2022. Following those transactions, officers executed a search warrant at Griffith’s residence on March 25, 2022, and recovered additional quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl.       

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office.

United States District Judge Irene C. Berger imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe prosecuted 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. 2:22-cr-147.

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