Detroit Man Pleads Guilty To Role In West Virginia Drug Trafficking Network

Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 8:30 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

HUNTINGTON, W.VA.- Last Monday, a 35-year-old Detroit, Michigan, man and local Huntington, West Virginia drug peddler learned he could be facing up to four decades in federal prison when sentenced next year, after pleading guilty to his role in a Huntington, West Virginia drug trafficking organization.

     According to U.S. Attorney Moore Capito, on Monday, December 1, 2025, James Garner, also known as “Jake,” 35, of Detroit, Michigan, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Robert C. Chambers to Distribution of 5 Grams or More of a Controlled Substance, Methamphetamine.

During His Plea, Garner Admits To Role In A Drug Trafficking Nerwork

     During his plea allocution, Garner admitted to his role in a drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl within Huntington, West Virginia, and elsewhere.

     After entering his guilty plea, Judge Chambers accepted the plea and scheduled sentencing for March 16, 2026. At that time, Garner faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $5 million. At sentencing, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offense and Garner’s prior criminal history.

     According to charging documents and statements made in the District Court, on January 17, 2025, during an investigation into a drug trafficking organization, Garner sold around 50 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant for $350. During his plea allocution, Garner admitted that his co-defendant Joshua Willie McCarver directed the confidential informant to the Baer Street residence in  Huntington, West Virginia, where he sold the methamphetamine to the informant.

     Further, during last Monday’s plea allocution, Garner additionally admitted to selling around 336 grams of methamphetamine to an informant for $2,400 on February 21, 2025, and admitted that he also conducted both the January and February 2025 sales at the Baer Street residence, and that McCarver had arranged both transactions beforehand.

Garner Was Arrested On May 31, 2025

     On May 31, 2025, law enforcement Investigators conducted a motor vehicle traffic stop in Huntington, West Virginia, of a vehicle in which Garner was a passenger. Garner admitted that during the stop, he exited the vehicle, and he tossed 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 by Investigators, but then fled on foot and was quickly apprehended after the Investigators located the bag he had tossed.   On May 31, 2025, law enforcement Investigators conducted a motor vehicle traffic stop in Huntington, West Virginia, on a vehicle in which Garner was a passenger. Garner admitted that during the stop, he exited the vehicle, and he tossed a bag containing approximately 459 grams of methamphetamine near the front passenger side of the vehicle. 

     Garner also admitted that he returned to the vehicle when instructed by Investigators, but then fled on foot and was quickly apprehended after the Investigators located the bag he had tossed.

     During a search of the vehicle, Investigators located and seized an additional bag containing nearly 50 grams of fentanyl in the front seat passenger floorboard of the vehicle.

Garner Was Among Ten People Indicted For Drug Trafficking

     Garner was among ten individuals federally indicted in the Huntington, West Virginia, drug trafficking organization. Some of the ten defendants have pleaded guilty, and the indictment remains pending against the other remaining defendants.

    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.