A Wise County man has been sentenced to 228 months in federal prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine conspiracy that spanned multiple counties in Virginia.
Joseph Andrew Hobbs, 28, of Wise County, was one of 20 defendants charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty in August 2019 to one count of conspiring to distribute and possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, as well as one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents, the 20 defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Lee and Wise counties, and elsewhere, between July 1, 2016 and May 1, 2019. To date, all 20 defendants have been convicted via plea agreement or jury trial. Hobbs is the second defendant to be sentenced.
Hobbs’ sentence was handed down yesterday in U.S. District Court in Abingdon. He will serve 228 months in federal prison. On December 18, 2019, Susan Adrianna Mullins was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison, marking the first defendant to be sentenced in the case.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force, which is comprised of the Scott County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, Wise County Sheriff’s Office, Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office, Norton Police Department, Big Stone Gap Police Department, and the Virginia State Police.
Assistant United States Attorneys Lena Busscher, Anthony P. Giorno, Jonathan Jones, and Zachary T. Lee prosecuted the case for the United States. The case highlights the ongoing struggle to combat methamphetamine distribution and trafficking in rural areas of Virginia.
The methamphetamine conspiracy involved the distribution of significant amounts of the substance in Lee and Wise counties, posing a substantial threat to public safety. The sentencing of Hobbs and other defendants in the case serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of engaging in large-scale drug trafficking.
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Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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