Mountain City Resident Sentenced For Role In Methamphetamine Manufacturing Conspiracy

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On Jan. 20, 2015, the last of 42 individuals charged in related methamphetamine manufacturing cases was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Judge. Tony Jerome Snyder, 37, of Mountain City, Tenn., was sentenced to serve 135 months in federal prison for conspiring to manufacture more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Upon his release from prison, he will be supervised for five years by U.S. Probation. There is no parole in the federal system.

Snyder and 19 others 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. Twenty-two others were also indicted in related methamphetamine manufacturing cases arising from the same investigation. All have now been sentenced.

The charges stemmed from a lengthy investigation spanning from 2006 to 2013 wherein these individuals 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 throughout the Eastern District of Tennessee.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian praised the efforts of law enforcement involved in these cases stating, “These cases demonstrate the tremendous impact that collaborative investigations among law enforcement agencies can help to combat methamphetamine production and distribution. Our office has worked hard to help reduce the number of methamphetamine labs in east Tennessee and will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases.”

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