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The Eastern District of Texas Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjel announced the court sentenced an Athens, Texas man to federal prison for drug trafficking violations.
Matthew Don Herrington, 49, pleaded guilty on Dec. 12, 2020, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison on Jun. 16, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle.
“Drug dealers who pump poison into our communities will face certain and severe consequences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Our office will continue to partner with federal, state, and local agencies to ensure our communities are safe and to bring to justice those who spread the misery of methamphetamine.”
According to documents and information presented in court, Herrington was arrested on Oct. 22, 2019, by Rusk County Sheriff’s Deputies with a quantity of methamphetamine that he intended to distribute to others, along with a firearm. In March 2020, Rusk County Deputies learned that Herrington was still engaged in methamphetamine trafficking. As a result, on Mar. 25, 2020, Deputies executed a search warrant of Herrington’s home and recovered a distributable quantity of methamphetamine and another firearm. The court prohibits Herrington from possessing firearms because of multiple prior felony convictions, including a 2009 federal conviction for distributing methamphetamine, for which he received 70 months in federal prison.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Rusk County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Locker was the prosecutor.