Calif Meth Kingpin Jailed for Decade

Alexandria, Va. – David John Russell, 38, of Fallbrook, California, faced a severe fate as he was sentenced to ten years in federal prison today for distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Russell’s criminal enterprise reached beyond the Golden State when he pleaded guilty on Nov. 4, 2016. Court documents revealed his role as a facilitator in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area meth distribution network. He traveled to California to secure large quantities of the illegal substance and then utilized the U.S. Postal Service to distribute it. On two occasions, law enforcement intercepted and seized packages totaling approximately one pound of methamphetamine.

The DEA and U.S. Postal Service conducted a thorough investigation as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), known operationally as Ring of Ice. This initiative is designed to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations and ensure the illegal drug supply network is effectively disrupted.

Senior U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III, imposed the sentence following prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carina A. Cuellar. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Dana J. Boente; Special Agent in Charge Karl C. Colder of DEA’s Washington Field Division; and Acting Inspector Joseph W. Cronin from the USPIS Washington Division, all played pivotal roles in announcing the sentencing.

For further information on this case, interested parties can visit the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia website or search PACER for Case No. 1:16-cr-202 for related court documents and details.