Etowah County man receives 228 months for meth trafficking

Phillip Trent Waldrop will spend nearly two decades behind bars for moving methamphetamine through Etowah County. The 46-year-old Altoona resident was sentenced to 228 months in federal prison on Friday. This sentence follows his guilty pleas to possession with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine.

Federal investigators built the case over a one-month period in 2023. Agents conducted a series of controlled buys from Waldrop to establish a pattern of sales. These purchases provided the evidence needed for a search warrant on his home. Officers found approximately 270 grams of methamphetamine during that initial search.

Law enforcement returned to the residence one year later. The second search resulted in the seizure of another 560 grams of the drug. Together, the two searches accounted for more than 800 grams of methamphetamine.

U.S. Attorney Phillip Williams Jr. said the sentence reflects a coordinated effort between federal, state, and local partners. "This 19-year prison sentence sends a clear message that those who profit from dangerous drugs will face serious consequences," Williams stated.

David R. Fitzgibbons, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Birmingham office, noted that the case relied on the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit. "No single agency can tackle drug trafficking alone," Fitzgibbons said. He added that the team disrupted a major source of the drug in the area.