U.S. Department
of Justice
Convicted Felon Found Guilty on Drug and Gun Charges
ANNISTON, Ala. – A federal jury this week convicted a New York resident on drug and gun charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agent in Charge Mickey French.
The jury returned its guilty verdict against Jerrelle Quintrez Gladden, 38, after two days of testimony before U.S. District Court Judge Corey L. Maze. Gladden was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime, and felon in possession of a firearm.
“Citizens should feel safe in their communities, families should feel safe in their homes, and children should feel safe while playing in their backyards,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “Gladden committed serious crimes which could have resulted in the loss of life. He now faces serious penalties. I want to commend the ATF, 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit, the Anniston Police Department, and the prosecution team for their work on this case.”
”There is one less criminal off of our streets,” SAC French said. “We at ATF work tirelessly to keep our communities safe from people who endanger our neighborhoods. We will continue to work collaboratively with all of our law enforcement partners to combat violent crimes in an effort to maintain public safety.”
According to evidence presented at trial, in January 2020, law enforcement officers executed a state search warrant on a residence in Anniston. Police officers searched the house and found Gladden, a convicted felon, in a bedroom where officers also found digital scales with white crystal-like residue, small plastic baggies consistent with distribution, Gladden’s personal items, and 2 baggies of methamphetamine. Behind the door in the bedroom next to Gladden’s room, officers found a folded chair that contained a clear baggie of methamphetamine, a brown paper bag of U.S. currency, and two loaded firearms: a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol, and a Taurus .380 caliber pistol. The Sig Sauer was reported stolen 8 days prior to finding it during the execution of the search warrant.
The penalty for possession with intent to distribute more than 5 grams of methamphetamine is not less than 5 years, but not more than 40 years. However, the jury also found in Phase II of the trial that Gladden had been previously convicted of a serious drug felony, which enhances his punishment for this charge to not less than 10 years but no more than life in prison. The minimum penalty for possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime is five years in prison, which must run consecutive to any other sentence. The maximum penalty for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon is 10 years.
The ATF investigated the case along with the 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit and the Anniston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittney Plyler and Kristy Peoples are prosecuting the case.