Tommy Allen ‘Bert’ Sentenced to Distribute Crack Cocaine, Tennessee 2017

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – In a major blow to the Tri-Cities’ drug trade, Tommy Allen, a.k.a. Bert, 30, of Kingsport, Tenn., formerly of Forrest City, Ark., was sentenced to serve 240 months in federal prison for distributing crack cocaine. Upon his release from prison, he will be on supervised release for five years. There is no parole in the federal system.

Allen pleaded guilty in June 2016 to a conspiracy to distribute 280 grams or more of crack cocaine as part of a large-scale drug trafficking organization. The organization, involving 10 co-defendants, obtained powder cocaine in Forrest City, Ark., and then transported it to Kingsport, Tenn., where it was ‘cooked’ into crack cocaine and distributed in the Tri-Cities. Allen, the brother of the conspiracy’s leader, Billy Allen, a.k.a. ‘Grill,’ distributed crack cocaine and fielded phone calls from customers ordering crack cocaine from the organization.

Allen admitted to being conservatively responsible for distributing between 840 grams and 2.8 kilograms (approximately two to six pounds) of crack cocaine. He faced a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison as a result of trafficking in at least 280 or more grams of crack cocaine.

The investigation was a collaborative effort among the Second Judicial District Drug Task Force, 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 Drug Enforcement Administration. J. Gregory Bowman, Assistant U.S. Attorney, represented the United States.

This case was a result of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program, the centerpiece of the nation’s drug supply reduction strategy. Established in 1982, OCDETF conducts comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.

Allen’s sentence marks a significant victory for law enforcement agencies in their fight against the Tri-Cities’ drug trade. The case serves as a reminder of the devastating impact of crack cocaine on communities and the importance of continued efforts to dismantle drug trafficking organizations.

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