HUNTINGTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – A Huntington man has pleaded guilty in federal court to a drug distribution charge stemming from a traffic stop last fall.
According to court records, Matthew Robert Hudson, 40, of Huntington, entered a guilty plea on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, to one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. The plea was entered in U.S. District Court.
Court documents and statements made during the hearing state that on Sept. 23, 2025, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle Hudson was driving in Huntington.
During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine inside a handbag belonging to Hudson’s passenger.
As part of his plea agreement, Hudson admitted that the methamphetamine belonged to him, that he asked the passenger to hold it, and that he intended to sell the drugs in exchange for money.
Hudson is scheduled to be sentenced on May 27, 2026. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and could receive up to 40 years of incarceration, followed by at least four years of supervised release. He also faces a possible fine of up to $5 million.
Moore Capito, United States attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia, announced the plea and praised the investigative efforts of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
The hearing was presided over by Robert C. Chambers. The case is being prosecuted by Stephanie Taylor.
