Seven Sentenced in Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine Across NW Alabama

BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge this week sentenced seven people from Jefferson, Walker, Marion and Franklin counties for conspiring to traffic methamphetamine across northwest Alabama, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Robert O. Posey and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge Bret Hamilton.

U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor on Monday sentenced GLADYS IVETTE RODRIGUEZ-VALLE, 34, of Pinson, to nine years in prison. Rodriguez-Valle pleaded guilty to the conspiracy in December, acknowledging she led the operation by sending couriers to Atlanta to buy multiple kilograms of methamphetamine between January 2015 and June 2016 for her and her co-defendants to distribute.

Also on Monday, Judge Proctor sentenced JEFFREY DOUGLAS DUNAWAY, 29, of Bear Creek, and GREGORY KEITH KING, 35, of Hodges, for their roles in the conspiracy. King received nine years and nine months in prison and Dunaway received eight years and nine months in prison.

Today, Judge Proctor sentenced co-defendants ALLEN M. MORGAN, 35, CONNIE HALLMARK BATCHELOR, 44, and EVAN ANDREW NORRIS, 39, all of Jasper, and KEVIN WAYNE BLACKBURN, 44, of Russellville. The judge sentenced Morgan to five years and three months in prison, Batchelor to eight years and four months, Norris to 14 years, and Blackburn to six years and eight months.

The remaining defendant in the case, BRUCE ALAN ROBERTS, 37, of Pinson, is scheduled for sentencing July 18 in the methamphetamine distribution conspiracy and in an unrelated wire fraud conspiracy that he pleaded guilty to in March.

The DEA investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney L. James Weil Jr. is prosecuting.

###