NASHVILLE – In a major blow to international methamphetamine trafficking, two Murfreesboro men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for their roles in shipping massive quantities of the deadly drug to Australia and New Zealand.
Steven Weaver, 51, was sentenced to 140 months in prison and five years of supervised release, while his co-defendant, Jamie Woods, received a 120-month prison term and five years of supervised release. The sentences were handed down by U.S. District Judge Aleta Trauger, who described the estimated 50 kilograms of methamphetamine involved in the conspiracy as a “tremendous amount of incredibly pure methamphetamine.”
According to the indictment and other documents filed with the Court, an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service revealed that multiple parcels had been shipped from Murfreesboro to Australia and New Zealand containing methamphetamine. The parcels were often disguised as “Birthday Gift” packages and packaged in cake mix boxes.
Although some of the parcels successfully reached their destination, law enforcement intercepted 12 of the parcels, which contained a total of more than 20 kilograms of methamphetamine. Investigators were able to identify the defendants through fingerprints found on some of the seized packages.
The investigation, which involved federal and local law enforcement agencies, also uncovered surveillance footage of Weaver and Woods buying copious amounts of cake mix boxes from Walmart. The footage was obtained from the mail room at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, where two of the parcels were mailed on June 25, 2019.
“This prosecution and the sentences imposed, are a testament to the fantastic work of the federal and local law enforcement agencies who investigated this case,” said United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “Methamphetamine is an incredibly dangerous drug. We will continue to hold accountable those who distribute it, either here in the Middle District or abroad.”
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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