Trinity Duke Smith, Methamphetamine Distribution, Texas 2025

Local Man Sentenced to 29 Years for Methamphetamine Distribution

Austin, Texas - In a shocking turn of events, Trinity Duke Smith, a 50-year-old Austin man, was sentenced to 29 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and violating supervised release.

According to court documents, Smith was released from prison in December 2020 and was still on supervised release on March 26, 2024, when the FBI and Austin Police Department executed a search warrant on his residence.

The search revealed a plastic grocery bag in a kitchen cabinet that contained approximately 197 grams of suspected methamphetamine, a digital scale, sandwich bags, latex gloves, and pieces of white insulation. Two large garbage bags containing 9.2 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine were also found underneath insulation in Smith’s attic.

A Drug Enforcement Administration lab test in May 2024 determined the substance found in the kitchen to be 188.3 grams of 91% pure methamphetamine and determined the substance found in the attic to be 8.899 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine.

Smith was indicted June 18, 2024, for one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He pleaded guilty in August 2025.

U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons made the announcement, stating that the FBI, Austin Police Department, and Texas Rangers investigated the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Castillo prosecuting the case.

Smith, a repeat offender, has been convicted of two previous federal drug offenses. His sentence of 324 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, plus 24 months in prison for violating the requirements of a previously imposed term of supervised release, brings his total sentence to 29 years.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/austin-man-sentenced-29-years-federal-prison-third-federal-drug-offense