Benton County Drug Dealer Sentenced to 13 Years for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Jackson, TN – Kelvin Melton, 43, a Big Sandy, Tennessee resident, has been sentenced to 156 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in Court, during an undercover operation in June, 2017, Henry County Sheriff’s Deputies developed Melton as a suspect distributing methamphetamine in the Western District of Tennessee. Based on information obtained from a confidential informant, deputies made five separate drug purchases from Melton. The total methamphetamine amounted to over 10 grams of actual methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Paris, TN., Police Department.

On August 11, 2020, U.S. District Court Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Melton to 156 months in federal prison followed by four years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney Dunavant said, "Meth distribution creates havoc and jeopardizes public safety, especially in small rural communities. Drug dealers can no longer hide in any part of the Western District of Tennessee, and this sentence demonstrates our commitment to remove poison peddlers from our streets."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jerry Kitchen prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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