Gaffney, South Carolina – A Gaffney woman will spend more than 10 years in federal prison after investigators said she helped move large amounts of methamphetamine through South Carolina’s Upstate as part of a broader trafficking conspiracy.
Angela Upchurch, 38, was sentenced after federal prosecutors said she worked with Mikayluh Walker, Mikenzi Walker, Jonathan Sarratt and others in a drug distribution network that operated from 2023 into 2024.
According to the Department of Justice, the evidence gathered during the investigation proved that Upchurch was responsible for distributing 15 pounds of methamphetamine during that period.
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Federal officials said the conspiracy stretched across the Upstate, with Sarratt helping coordinate drug distribution while he was serving a sentence inside the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Prosecutors said the Walker twins moved the drugs to sub-distributors, including Upchurch, allowing the operation to continue pushing methamphetamine into local communities.
Upchurch’s sentence was handed down by United States District Judge Donald C. Coggins, who ordered her to serve 130 months in prison. After her release, she will also be required to complete three years of court-ordered supervision. Federal sentences do not include parole.
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The case also comes with a prior criminal history. Prosecutors said Upchurch had a 2017 conviction for accessory after the fact to trafficking.
“This drug conspiracy funneled pounds upon pounds of dangerous methamphetamine into the Upstate,” said U.S. Attorney Bryan Stirling for the District of South Carolina. “Our office is proud to work with our law enforcement partners to remove these drug dealers from our streets and keep our community safe.”
Law enforcement officials framed the sentence as part of a wider push to break apart drug networks they say harm families, feed addiction and bring violence into communities.
“Methamphetamine trafficking devastates families and communities, fueling addiction and violence across our nation,” said Mark M. Zito, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in North and South Carolina. “This sentence reflects the unwavering commitment of HSI and our law enforcement partners to disrupt criminal networks and protect the homeland. Through collaboration and determination, we are holding traffickers accountable and making our communities safer.”
Upchurch is not the only defendant in the case to receive a lengthy sentence. Judge Coggins previously sentenced Jonathan Sarratt to 300 months in prison, Mikayluh Walker to 276 months, and Mikenzi Walker to 180 months.
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Authorities said the investigation was connected to the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, which was established under Executive Order 14159, “Protecting the American People Against Invasion.” Officials described the task force as a government-wide effort focused on criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings.
The Greenville-area task force includes state, local and federal agencies, with the prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.
