Meth Queen Carter Gets 6+ Years

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Amy Lynn Carter, 40, of Huntington, is headed to federal prison after receiving a six-year and 15-day sentence today for possession with intent to deliver a significant quantity of methamphetamine. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Robert C. Chambers, also includes four years of supervised release, a slap on the wrist considering the scale of her operation.

The bust went down on January 20, 2021, when Carter was a passenger in a vehicle idling at a Barboursville convenience store. Law enforcement didn’t need a warrant – drug paraphernalia was visible in plain sight. A K-9 unit quickly confirmed their suspicions, alerting to the presence of narcotics within the vehicle. The subsequent search uncovered a sickening haul: 19 grams of a heroin and fentanyl mixture, a staggering 242 grams of methamphetamine, and a cool $10,300 in cash.

Carter didn’t bother denying ownership. She readily admitted to possessing the methamphetamine and, more damningly, her intention to peddle it on the streets of the Southern District of West Virginia. But the scope of her ambition went beyond local distribution. Court documents reveal Carter confessed to planning an 8-pound methamphetamine purchase in Ohio, using the seized cash to fuel her lucrative trade. That’s not a small-time dealer; that’s a regional distributor.

The DEA and the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department deserve credit for taking this poison peddler off the streets, but let’s not pretend this is a victory against the larger opioid crisis. Carter is one cog in a vast, brutal machine. While she’s locked up, another dealer will inevitably step in to fill the void, and the flow of deadly drugs will continue. The sentence sends a message, but is it a strong enough one?

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson announced the sentencing, praising the investigative work of the DEA and Cabell County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy D. Adams prosecuted the case. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing battle against drug trafficking in West Virginia.

For those seeking further details, a copy of the press release is available 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. 3:22-cr-19.