April Darlene Fields, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, VA 2023

April Darlene Fields, 37, of Glade Springs, Virginia, is headed to federal prison for five years after being sentenced on methamphetamine charges in the Western District of Virginia. Fields previously pled guilty to one count of conspiring to attempt to manufacture methamphetamine and one count of aiding and abetting the manufacture and attempted manufacture of the drug. The case, part of a wider crackdown on rural drug labs, culminated today in Abingdon with a 60-month sentence, three years of supervised release, a $200 mandatory assessment, and $599.47 in restitution to the Drug Enforcement Administration for hazardous waste cleanup.

Fields is the fourth defendant sentenced in the conspiracy that spanned multiple counties in Southwest Virginia. The manufacturing of methamphetamine — a volatile, toxic process often conducted in makeshift labs — endangered not only those involved but nearby residents and first responders. U.S. Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. didn’t mince words: “Methamphetamine continues to destroy lives and be an obstacle for success for so many in Virginia. When individuals manufacture this dangerous substance and put the lives of others in danger, law enforcement will act swiftly and responsibly, as we did in this case.”

The investigation, led by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Abingdon Police Department, Town of Damascus Police Department, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, dismantled a network that operated under the radar for months. The labs involved used common household chemicals, creating explosive risks and leaving behind toxic residue that required federal cleanup. Fields’ role, prosecutors say, went beyond mere involvement — she actively aided in production, knowing the dangers.

Others already sentenced in the same conspiracy include John Steven Fields, who received 12 months in federal prison, a $100 mandatory assessment, and joint responsibility for $599 in DEA restitution. Shauna Danielle Davie was handed two years of probation and the same $100 assessment and restitution. Dana Lynn Vanmeter, whose residence housed a discovered meth lab, was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment, a $300 mandatory assessment, and $599 in restitution for cleanup costs — a financial and legal echo of the contamination she helped create.

Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring emphasized the ongoing threat meth production poses to rural communities. “The manufacturing and abuse of methamphetamine remains a significant challenge for too many communities and too many families in the Commonwealth,” Herring said. “The cooperation and collaboration between my team and U.S. Attorney Fishwick’s team continues to produce results that make Southwest Virginia families safer.”

Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case. The outcome underscores a broader strategy: targeting not just street-level dealers but the producers who fuel the epidemic. With Fields’ sentencing, all four conspirators are now accounted for — behind bars, on probation, or paying for the damage they left behind.