Three separate drug busts lead to prison sentences

Special to the State Gazette

Three separate drug busts led to convictions and prison sentences. Two were sentenced to federal prison, without a chance for parole.

Dyersburg man gets 18 years for meth, heroine, crack, marijuana, a number of other drugs, and guns

On April 30, 2024, Alonzo Johnson of Dyersburg entered a guilty plea to one count of Possession of Schedule II Methamphetamine over 0.5 grams with the Intent to Sell or Deliver. Pursuant to the agreement between the State and the Defendant’s attorney, Johnson received an 18-year sentence to be served at 85% release eligibility.

The case arose on April 3, 2023, when agents with the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force alongside officers from the Dyer County Sheriff’s Department executed a search warrant at 425 Broadway Avenue in Dyersburg. During the search, officers recovered 110 grams of methamphetamine, 6.5 grams of heroin, 3 grams of crack cocaine, 384 grams of marijuana, various amounts of Gabapentin, Xanax, and Suboxone, and two firearms. Agents observed minor children on a playground within several hundred feet of the residence. This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Tim Boxx and Andrew Hays.

Dyersburg woman receive 15 year sentence to federal prison determined to have distributed 26 pounds of meth

On January 26, 2024, Judge Thomas Anderson of the Western District of Tennessee sentenced Lisa Lindley to 180 months incarceration. Lindley was originally indicted for four violations of 21 U.S.C. §841(a) alleging she distributed 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine (80% or greater purity) on more than four occasions.

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations and the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from Lindley on three separate occasions. Agents then executed a search warrant where they seized 880 grams of methamphetamine and $7,193 in United States currency.

Based on the seized narcotics and Lindley’s own admissions, the District Court held her responsible for distributing 12,020 grams (26 pounds) of methamphetamine in West Tennessee. Judge Anderson also sentenced Lindley to 5 years of supervised release following her release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lance Webb and Andrew Hays who are cross assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution of federal cases arising from the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District.

Dyersburg man receives 18 years for meth, cocaine, and fentanyl as well as felony possession of a firearm

On February 27, 2024, Judge Thomas Anderson of the United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee sentenced Terrell Gauldin to 180 months incarceration. Gauldin pled guilty to violating 21 U.S.C. §841(a) for possessing methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl with the intent to deliver or distribute, and 18 U.S.C. §922(g) for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.

Officers with the Newbern Police Department conducted a traffic stop on June 6, 2021. Gauldin was a passenger in the vehicle. As officers started to search, Gauldin entered the vehicle and fled the traffic stop. He left behind a backpack.

Officers later searched the backpack and located 4.9 grams of actual methamphetamine (80% or greater purity), 9.99 grams of cocaine, 11 Fentanyl pills, $1,280 in United States currency, and a 9mm firearm. Judge Anderson found Gauldin qualified as an Armed Career Criminal under federal law due to prior felony convictions and sentenced him to 180 months of incarceration followed by 5 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys Lance Webb and Andrew Hays who are cross assigned to the United States Attorney’s Office for prosecution of federal cases arising from the Twenty-Ninth Judicial District.