MURPHYSBORO MAN SENTENCED FOR ROLE IN METHAMPHETAMINE CONSPIRACY

A. Courtney Cox, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced today that on June 5, 2009, DALE L. BRYANT, age 42, of Murphysboro, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in East St. Louis, Illinois. BRYANT, who had previously pled guilty to a one-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, 5 years’ supervised release, and was fined $400.

The investigation established that from at least October 2005 through May 14, 2007, BRYANT and others conspired to manufacture methamphetamine in Jackson, Williamson, and Perry Counties. Ten co-defendants have previously been sentenced to imprisonment for their role in the methamphetamine conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Murphysboro Police Department, United States Marshals Service and Drug Enforcement Administration pursuant to their participation in the Jackson County Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. The goal of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative is to remove illegal guns and drugs from our communities. Under the Project Safe Neighborhoods Initiative, federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutors are working together to prosecute drug dealers, felons in possession of firearms, and criminals that use firearms to commit violent offenses or drug trafficking offenses in the system that will get them the most time. The Perry County Sheriff’s Office also participated in the investigation.

The case was assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson for prosecution.