Huntington Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Crime

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – A Huntington man pleaded guilty today to a federal drug crime.

According to court documents, on January 14, 2021, Aaron Scott Midkiff, 36, was the passenger in a vehicle that was stopped by deputies with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department. Midkiff had approximately 166 grams of methamphetamine in his possession at the time the deputies initiated the traffic stop. The methamphetamine was thrown out of the vehicle just prior to the vehicle stopping and was recovered by deputies. Midkiff also had digital scales and plastic bags in his possession.

Midkiff pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when he is sentenced on February 22, 2022.

United States Attorney William S. Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Southern West Virginia TOC-West Task Force, which is comprised of officers with the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Hurricane Police Department, and the Marshall University Police Department.  The West Virginia State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Violent Crime and Drug Task Force West provide investigative support to the task force.  The Ohio Highway Patrol, the Kentucky State Police, and the FBI and DEA in Columbus, Ohio, also assisted in the investigation. 

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney L. Cremeans and Joseph F. Adams are prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

A copy of this press release is located 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. 3:21-cr-00109.

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