A Canton man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston.

Ashton Norris, 30, pleaded guilty on Aug. 22, 2022 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker.

According to information presented in court, on Oct. 4, 2021, Norris was stopped on IH-20 in Van Zandt County for a defective license plate lamp. During the stop, it was discovered that Norris had an active warrant for his arrest out of Wood County and Norris was placed under arrest.

An inventory of the vehicle after Norris was arrested revealed a backpack with about 103 grams of methamphetamine. Norris was indicted by a federal grand jury on Dec. 5, 2021 and charged with federal drug trafficking violations. 

Norris was indicted in Wood County March 31, 2021 for possession of a controlled substance penalty group one, four grams or more but less than 200. That case is pending. A misdemeanor property theft case is also pending.

This case was investigated by the Canton Police Department, the Wood County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Noble.