James Wade Campbell Sentenced To Serve 240 Months In Prison For Manufacturing Methamphetamine

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – James Wade Campbell, 32, of Elizabethton, Tenn., was sentenced on June 26, 2013, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 240 months in federal prison. Following the prison sentence he will be subject to eight years of supervised release, under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office. There is no parole in the federal system.

Campbell and Amber Layne Markland, 33, also of Elizabethton, Tenn., were indicted in September 2012 and both later pleaded guilty conspiring to manufacture five to 50 grams of methamphetamine. The charges initiated from the investigation of a fire and injuries sustained by Campbell caused by a methamphetamine laboratory at an Elizabethton apartment in September 2011. In February 2012, both Campbell and Markland were arrested on state charges when a second methamphetamine laboratory and components were discovered at a different apartment in Elizabethton where they were manufacturing methamphetamine.

In May 2013, Markland was sentenced by Judge Greer to serve 130 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Campbell received an enhanced sentence in this case due to his classification as a career offender because of his lengthy criminal history, which included at least two prior felony convictions of either a crime of violence or a controlled substance offense.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian commended the investigative efforts of the law enforcement agencies who handled this investigation. “Manufacturing methamphetamine is inherently dangerous and places our communities at risk due to fires and explosions that can result from “shake and bake” labs. The punishment that these individuals receive sends a strong message that this office will continue to aggressively prosecute people who manufacture methamphetamine and, by doing so, create a substantial risk of harm to the lives of people in the community.”

Agencies involved in this investigation included the Elizabethton Police Department, Tennessee Methamphetamine and Prescription Drug Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Suzanne Kerney-Quillen represented the United States.