Fayette County Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years for Unlawfully Possessing Large Amount of Meth

Memphis, TN – A Fayette County man has been sentenced to 151 months for unlawfully possessing a large amount of methamphetamine with intent to distribute it throughout West Tennessee. Edward L. Stanton III, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, between 2014 and 2015, Jonathan Bufford, 43, of Somerville, Tennessee, was involved in a large-scale drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing large amounts of meth in the rural areas of West Tennessee.

Bufford purchased distribution amounts of meth regularly from a source of supply in the Memphis area. After transporting the drugs to Fayette County, Bufford would hire couriers to drive the meth to other rural counties, to provide to various individuals for distribution.

In April 2015, the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office received an anonymous complaint that Bufford was selling drugs out of his Somerville home. Investigators executed a search warrant on Bufford’s home and recovered 108 grams of meth, three scales and three cell phones.

In September 2016, Bufford pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Samuel H. Mays Jr. to one count of unlawfully possessing with the intent to distribute and to distribute multiple grams of meth.

On Thursday, December 15, 2016, Judge Mays sentenced Bufford to 151 months in federal prison.

This case was investigated by the 25th District Attorney General’s Office and Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stringfellow prosecuted this case on the government’s behalf.