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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A federal judge handed down sentences of up to 15 years in prison to five individuals for their involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking ring in North Carolina.
Judge Bell sentenced the defendants as follows:
- William Jay Allen, Jr., 29, of Vilas, N.C. was sentenced to 180 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Allen pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution methamphetamine.
- Justin Kevin Anderson, 31, of Boone, N.C. was sentenced to 135 months in prison, followed by six years of supervised release. Anderson pleaded guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy and distribution methamphetamine.
- Thomas Burns Shelley, III, 37, of Blowing Rock, N.C., was sentenced to 132 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Shelley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
- Jeffrey David Miller, of Sugar Grove, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Miller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.
- Danielle Denise Dieters Ward, 42, of Morganton, N.C., was sentenced to 36 months in prison and five years of supervised release. Ward pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Federal authorities say a sixth co-defendant, Timothy Wilson Critcher, 47, of Boone, N.C., is scheduled to be sentenced on December 7th, 2021.
According to court documents and the sentencing hearing, Allen and his co-conspirators, from 2018 to 2020, trafficked more than 12 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine in Ashe and Watauga Counties, and elsewhere.
Federal authorities say Allen was determined to be the source of supply for the methamphetamine, and his co-defendants operated as couriers and sellers in the conspiracy.
All the defendants are currently in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, and will be taken into custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility, according to a news release.
This case is supported by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) as part of an ongoing investigation focusing on drug organizations trafficking large quantities of methamphetamine in Western North Carolina.
Authorities say to this date, more than 200 individuals have been prosecuted, and law enforcement have seized more than 20 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, $500,000 in U.S. currency, and other assets, and dozens of firearms.
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