Amarillo man indicted on federal charges after methamphetamine and firearms seized during motel search

AMARILLO, Texas — United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced that Mason Allan McCarty, 51, was indicted by a federal grand jury on July 23, and charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. According to the criminal complaint filed in the case, it alleges that Amarillo Police Department officers executed a search warrant at the Traveler Motel in Amarillo on June 30. McCarty, the target of the search warrant, was detained, and during the search, officers found approximately 28 grams of suspected methamphetamine in his pocket. Inside the motel room, officers found an additional bag containing roughly 29 grams of suspected methamphetamine, packaged similarly to the methamphetamine found in McCarty’s pocket. Officers also recovered a Bersa .380 caliber pistol and a Ruger .22 caliber pistol from inside the room. As described in the complaint, APD officers arrested McCarty and advised him of his constitutional rights. McCarty, who has multiple prior felony convictions, admitted to possessing both firearms and to distributing about 28 pounds of methamphetamine during the last several months. Federal Law enforcement took custody of McCarty from state authorities on July 13. He remains in custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, McCarty faces a maximum possible penalty of life imprisonment. The FBI and the Amarillo Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Marie Bell from the Amarillo Branch Office is prosecuting the case. An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###