Charles Phelps, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Tennessee 2022
GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Charles Phelps, 36, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine in Tennessee.
Phelps, a member of a prison gang led by co-defendant Charles Elsea, Jr., conspired with gang members and others to distribute methamphetamine into Tennessee, according to a plea agreement filed with the court. As part of his role, Phelps collected and delivered money for the organization.
On February 16, 2020, Phelps was stopped by local law enforcement during a traffic stop, where $119,000 in cash was discovered concealed in the spare tire of his vehicle. The money was being transported out west to purchase pounds of methamphetamine. The money was seized by law enforcement during the traffic stop.
The investigation, which spanned the country, involved multiple local and federal agencies working together to identify persons involved. The agencies included the DHS-HSI, DEA, USPS, and with the assistance of the Tennessee Department of Correction Office of Investigations and Conduct; Elizabethton, and Carter County Joint Drug Task Force; Huron Undercover Narcotic Team with the Michigan State Police; the Arkansas Highway Patrol; Missouri Western Interdiction Task Force with the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department; and the California Visalia Police Department.
The criminal indictment was the result of the investigation led by HSI Special Agent John Bulla. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan L. Gomez represented the United States at sentencing.
Phelps will be on supervised release for five years following his release from prison. The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States.
Charles Phelps, a 36-year-old resident of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville on March 14, 2022.
The charges against Charles Phelps include one count of Conspiracy to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Actual Methamphetamine, U.S.C. 21 U.S.C. § § 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(A).
Exactly $119,000 in cash was seized during the traffic stop. The money was being transported to purchase pounds of methamphetamine.
Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →