James Matthew Hembree Charged with 50+ Grams Meth Possession

James Matthew Hembree, 39, of Snellville, Georgia, is staring down a federal prison sentence after being indicted on a charge of possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in Ohio County, West Virginia.

The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury, alleges Hembree was in possession of the high-potency drug in September 2019. The charge—Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine—carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars and a maximum of life imprisonment, along with a fine of up to $10,000,000.

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell confirmed the indictment out of the Northern District of West Virginia. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert H. McWilliams, Jr., who emphasized the seriousness of large-scale drug distribution offenses.

Investigation into Hembree’s activities was conducted by the Ohio Valley Drug & Violent Crimes Task Force, a multi-agency unit funded through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. The task force specializes in dismantling regional drug networks and intercepting bulk narcotics shipments moving through key transit corridors.

If convicted, Hembree’s sentence will be determined under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which weigh the nature of the offense and any prior criminal record. With 50 grams or more of meth, the starting point for sentencing is steep—reserved for those the government treats as distributors, not casual users.

An indictment is not a conviction. James Matthew Hembree is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case now moves toward pre-trial proceedings in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia.