Gaffney Woman Receives 10-Year Sentence in Methamphetamine Trafficking Case

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Angela Upchurch, 38, of Gaffney, received a sentence of more than 10 years in federal prison for her role in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on May 8, 2026.

The sentence applies to Upchurch as the sole named defendant in the case prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina. Federal prosecutors charged her with participation in a conspiracy that distributed methamphetamine across the region.

The Department of Justice release does not specify the exact drug quantity involved in her count of conviction or the total number of co-conspirators.

The new state replaces the pre-sentencing period during which Upchurch faced trial or plea proceedings. She will now serve the prison term followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence takes effect immediately upon issuance on May 8, 2026.

Downstream, the Bureau of Prisons must designate a facility for Upchurch within the next several weeks under standard classification procedures. The U.S. Probation Office will assume responsibility for her supervised release conditions in 2036 or later, depending on exact time served and good-time credits.

Federal agents must complete any outstanding asset forfeiture tied to the trafficking proceeds, which then transfers to the Department of Justice's Asset Forfeiture Fund used to support further law enforcement operations. The conviction also counts toward the U.S. attorney's office annual metrics for narcotics prosecutions in the District of South Carolina, which coordinates with the Drug Enforcement Administration on regional cases.

This sentencing concludes one prosecution within the Department of Justice's broader initiative targeting methamphetamine distribution networks that supply the Southeast. The U.S. attorney's office for the District of South Carolina has secured multiple similar convictions in the past 24 months under 21 U.S.C. statutes governing controlled substances conspiracies.

The primary source for this account is the official Department of Justice press release issued from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina.