A 33-year-old man from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 295 months, or approximately 24.58 years, in prison for his role in a large-scale methamphetamine and firearms conspiracy in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina.
Grandy Nester, 33, was sentenced last week in the United States District Court in Abingdon as a result of Operation Rolling Thunder, an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and local law enforcement in Virginia and North Carolina.
The collaborative law enforcement effort has resulted in 22 defendants entering guilty pleas related to the distribution of methamphetamine and firearms possession in Southwest Virginia and North Carolina.
Nester pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and conspiracy to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine.
“Operation Rolling Thunder has made the communities of Southwest Virginia safer by taking large amounts of methamphetamine off the streets and getting firearms out of the hands of drug dealers,” United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen stated.
Nester was a member of a drug trafficking organization responsible for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from Greensboro, North Carolina, to be distributed in Galax, Virginia, Grayson County, Virginia, Carroll County, Virginia, and Surry County, North Carolina.
Additionally, many of the members of the organization possessed and used firearms to further their drug trafficking activities. At the time of his arrest in June 2017, Nester was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and a firearm.
Other defendants involved in the conspiracy have also been sentenced, including Amy Hoyt, 46, of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, who was sentenced to 228 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Amber Bilyeu, 32, of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, was sentenced to 252 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Karen Hawks, 45, of Low Gap, North Carolina, was sentenced to 262 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Walter “Butch” Sexton, 64, of Galax, Virginia, was sentenced to 87 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Brittany Cochran, 28, of Fries, Virginia, was sentenced to 87 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
Timothy Bowman, 46, of Cana, Virginia, was sentenced to 300 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possess a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. Annette Freeman, 32, of Cana, Virginia, was sentenced to 235 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Brad Hunley, 29, of Galax, Virginia, was sentenced to 134 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Shawanna Phipps, 37, of Independence, Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Brian Graff, 33, of Independence, Virginia, was sentenced to 120 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Riley Alley, 26, of Cana, Virginia, was sentenced to 52 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
The investigation and prosecution of Operation Rolling Thunder were led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia.
Related Federal Cases
- North Carolina Man Guilty in Methamphetamine Conspiracy · North Carolina
- North Carolina Check Fraud Kingpin Sentenced to 85 Months · Pennsylvania
- North Carolina Man Pleads Guilty to Meth and Fentanyl Distribution · North Carolina
- Akers & Gallimore Sentenced for Methamphetamine Distribution · North Carolina
- Ivan Rodriguez Chavez, Brent Hutchins Plead Guilty in Meth Conspiracy · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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