Palmyra man gets 10-year prison sentence in U.S. District Court for possession of meth

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Palmyra, Mo., man was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to 10 years of imprisonment for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, to be followed by eight years of supervised release.

The government presented evidence during the sentencing hearing to U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough that on or about Sept. 4, 2020, Charles Barger, 47, of the 200 block of East Ross in Palmyra, knowingly and intentionally possessed with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance, in Quincy.

Barger was indicted in October 2020 and pled guilty in August 2021. He has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since November 2020. He previously was in state custody after his arrest in September 2020.

The statutory penalties for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute are up to life imprisonment, up to an $8,000,000 fine and up to eight years of supervised release. 

The West Central Illinois Task Force and Quincy Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.