Mountain City And Boone Residents Sentenced For Conspiring To Manufacture Methamphetamine

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Two individuals involved in a methamphetamine conspiracy were sentenced on Apr. 9, 2014, by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge. Amber R. Coffey, 31, of Boone, N.C., was sentenced to serve 148 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Crystal E. Potter, 30, of Mountain City, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

A total of 20 individuals, including Coffey and Potter, were indicted in May 2013 for conspiring to manufacture methamphetamine and possessing equipment, chemicals, materials, and products to be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. All individuals charged in this case have been adjudicated guilty and have either been sentenced or will be sentenced later this year.

The charges against these individuals stemmed from a lengthy investigation spanning from August 2006 to May 2013. The investigation revealed that they conspired to obtain pseudoephedrine and other products needed to manufacture methamphetamine from various sources in the Eastern District of Tennessee, Western District of North Carolina, and Western District of Virginia. The pseudoephedrine and other products were then used to manufacture methamphetamine utilizing the “shake and bake” method. The methamphetamine was used and distributed in the Eastern District of Tennessee.

This investigation was a result of the collaborative efforts of the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, First Judicial District Drug Task Force, Tennessee Methamphetamine and Pharmaceutical Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Suzanne Kerney-Quillen and Caryn Hebets represent the United States.