A Philly Man Gets Prison Time After Admitting To Drug Trafficking In Upper Moreland

UPPER MORELAND, PA — A Philadelphia man is heading to state prison for between three to six years for drug trafficking in Upper Moreland after he pleaded guilty to the crime before a Montgomery County Common Pleas Court judge last week.

Melvin Matthes, 35, entered a guilty plea on Feb. 17 to one felony count of manufacture, delivery or possession with intent to deliver controlled substances in connection with an arrest in Upper Moreland Township back in the spring of 2018.

Montgomery County Common Pleas Court Judge Steven T. O'Neill handed down the prison sentence on the same day that Matthes admitted to his crimes, according to court records.

The Times Herald newspaper of Norristown reported that Matthes, who was also given credit for time served after spending 407 days in jail while awaiting trial, was arrested back in April 2018 by Upper Moreland Police officers.

The officers detected the odor of drugs in a vehicle that was occupied by Matthes and had been reported as suspicious, after the horn kept blaring just after 2 in the morning on Dallas Road in the Willow Grove section of the township.

Police conducting a search of the vehicle ultimately found PCP, crack cocaine, marijuana, powder cocaine and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle and Matthes was taken into custody and charged with various felony and misdemeanor drug violations, according to the Times Herald report and court records.

The criminal docket sheet shows that the other charges that were initially lodged against Matthes were dropped in exchange for his guilty plea on the felony charge.