Tommy Allen, a.k.a. Bert, 30, of Kingsport, Tenn., formerly of Forrest City, Ark., was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison on Jan. 31, 2017, for distributing crack cocaine across the Tri-Cities region. U.S. District Court Judge R. Leon Jordan handed down the sentence, which includes five years of supervised release upon Allen’s discharge. There is no parole in the federal system, meaning Allen will serve every mandated day behind bars.
Allen pleaded guilty in June 2016 to conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine, a charge that triggered a minimum mandatory 10-year sentence. He was a key player in a 10-member drug trafficking organization that imported powder cocaine from Arkansas, cooked it into crack in Kingsport, and flooded local streets with the drug. As the brother of the ring’s leader, Billy Allen, a.k.a. ‘Grill,’ Tommy Allen wasn’t just a foot soldier—he handled customer orders by phone and directly distributed the poison that fuels addiction and violence.
According to court documents, Tommy Allen admitted to distributing between 840 grams and 2.8 kilograms—roughly two to six pounds—of crack cocaine. That weight places him deep in the federal sentencing guidelines for high-level traffickers. His role went beyond mere participation; prosecutors described him as a distributor and communications hub for buyers seeking the organization’s supply.
The investigation that brought Allen down was a sweeping, multi-agency effort. The Second Judicial District Drug Task Force led the charge, with critical support from the Kingsport Police Department, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, Bristol Police Department, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Every wiretap, raid, and financial audit added pressure until the entire ring collapsed.
J. Gregory Bowman, Assistant U.S. Attorney, prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States, leveraging the full power of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. Established in 1982, OCDETF targets the highest-level drug operations in the country, aiming not just to arrest street dealers but to dismantle entire networks feeding America’s drug crisis.
This case exemplifies OCDETF’s mission: identify the architects of drug supply chains, follow the money and the drugs, and lock up those most responsible. Tommy Allen ‘Bert’ is now paying a steep price for his role—but the damage his crack operation inflicted on communities in Tennessee and Arkansas will linger long after his release.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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