Lincoln Man Sentenced for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that on May 17, 2018, Samuel Turner, 50, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced to 30 years (360 months) in prison for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine actual.  Following the prison term, Turner will serve eight years on supervised release.  Turner was convicted by a federal jury in February of 2018.

On the late evening of August 9, 2017, officers of the Lincoln Police Department, investigating a disturbance call, contacted Turner outside his residence in a north Lincoln trailer park.  During a conversation with officers, Turner asked one of the officers to lower his flashlight beam, so it would not shine in his eyes.  When the officer did so, officers saw that Turner was standing on a baggie of crystalline substance which contained at least 31 grams of pure methamphetamine.  Another smaller bag containing approximately 1 gram of methamphetamine was found nearby. 

Turner faced a potential sentence of 10 years to life.  He had two prior federal felony drug convictions.  He was convicted of conspiracy to distribute crack cocaine and distribution of crack cocaine in 1990 and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana in 2009.  Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the 2009 drug conviction and a 2009 Lancaster County District Court conviction for attempted first degree domestic assault made Turner a “career offender,” with a suggested sentencing range of 360 months to life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln/Lancaster County Drug Task Force.