ABINGDON, Va. – In a shocking turn of events, 62-year-old Ralph Allen Phillips, Jr. has been sentenced to 210 months in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.
According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Phillips in early 2021. While executing a search warrant of Phillips’s residence, federal agents found approximately one pound of methamphetamine in his bedroom safe along with nearly $40,000 in cash, some of which bore the same serial numbers as cash used during the controlled purchases.
Elsewhere, agents found a loaded 9 mm handgun, several thousand dollars in additional cash, and more methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia.
The investigation revealed that Phillips began selling multi-ounce quantities of methamphetamine in Southwest Virginia for approximately two-and-a-half years, and then escalated to trafficking over a pound of methamphetamine every two weeks.
As part of his plea agreement, Phillips is forfeiting a total of $44,550 in cash, the 9mm handgun and ammunition, as well as four motorcycles.
The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Virginia State Police, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Abingdon Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Whit D. Pierce prosecuted the case.
Ralph Allen Phillips, Jr. will be serving his sentence in federal prison, marking a significant blow to the community. The severe sentence sends a strong message that methamphetamine trafficking will not be tolerated.
The exact date of the sentencing was not specified in the release, but it is clear that justice has been served in this case.
Related Federal Cases
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- Roy Bills, Marijuana Trafficking, West Virginia 2014 · California
- Thirty-two Indicted in Methamphetamine Trafficking, Nevada 2024 · Kentucky
- Matthew Charles Blevins, Methamphetamine Trafficking, VA 2024 · Tennessee
Key Facts
- State: Virginia
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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