Final Member of Multi-State Poly-Drug Conspiracy Sentenced

Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Anthony Hines, 46, of Memphis, TN, to over ten years in federal prison for his role in an organized drug trafficking scheme in West Tennessee. Hines was the final defendant of multi-defendant and multi-state drug conspiracy.  Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today. 

According to the evidence presented in court, in early 2019, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), along with the Henry County Metro Narcotics task force, began an investigation into the illegal distribution of narcotics in the Western District of Tennessee.  The investigation revealed that Terry Smith, 38, of Memphis, arranged for large quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl to be shipped into the West Tennessee. Smith used contraband cellular devices from Texas, Arizona, and California to arrange the shipments.  The drugs were delivered for redistribution by Smith’s network of co-conspirators, including Hines, in locations that ranged from Western Kentucky to Northwest Mississippi. 

Ultimately, law enforcement agents determined that Smith and his co-conspirators were responsible for distributing approximately 119 pounds of methamphetamine, 10,000 fentanyl pills, 20 ounces of heroin/fentanyl mix, 2 ounces of fentanyl and 40 pounds of marijuana throughout West Tennessee and surrounding areas.  Agents physically seized a total of 17.24 kilograms of actual methamphetamine, 141.76 grams of marijuana, 68.645 grams of Heroin/Fentanyl mixture and 10.845 grams of Fentanyl. 

On May 15, 2023, Hines pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.  On March 24, 2025, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Hines to 125 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.  There is no parole in the federal system.  

The following co-conspirators have already pled guilty and have been sentenced: 

• Terry Smith, 38, of Memphis, Tennessee: 240 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• Rodney Ayers, 51, of Memphis, Tennessee: 180 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• James Dumas, 49, of Lansing, Michigan: 150 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• Kayla Henderson, 31, of Memphis, Tennessee: 80 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• Dustin Chambers, 38, of Jackson, Tennessee: 120 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• Horace McNeary, 37, of Paris, Tennessee: 130 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine.
• Brianna Norsworthy, 25, of Murray, Kentucky: 110 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, as well as possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
• Jessica Vestal, 34, of Hendersonville, Tennessee: 80 months and a 5-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine, as well as possession with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
• Michael Broady, 51, of Memphis, Tennessee: a time served period of 13 months and a 3-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
• Jermichael Buggs, 37, of Grand Junction, Tennessee: 84 months and a 3-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
• Christopher Hamilton, 49, of Memphis, Tennessee: 60 months and a 4-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute cocaine.
• Teddy Reed, 43, of Memphis, Tennessee: 63 moths and a 4-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine.
• Aerielle Coleman, 34, of Memphis, Tennessee: 30 months and a 2-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
• Danielle Cunningham, 38, of Memphis, Tennessee: time served and a 3-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.
• Tracy Coleman, 50, of Memphis, Tennessee: a time served period of 18 months and a 2-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana
• Johnnie McGhee, 51, of Olive Branch, Mississippi: 60 days and a 2-year period of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana.  

This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The DEA; West Tennessee Drug Task Force; Jackson Police Department; Jackson-Madison County Metro-Narcotics; Madison County Sheriff’s Department, Paris, Tennessee Police Department; Henry County Sheriff’s Department; Murray, Kentucky Police Department; Kentucky State Police; Arkansas State Police; and the U.S. Marshals Service investigated this case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Adam Davis and Hillary Parham, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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