Lauderdale County Man Sentenced to 77 Months for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

Memphis, TN – Michael Cole Beasley, AKA "Trickle", of Lauderdale County has been sentenced to federal prison for 77 months for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on April 12, 2018, Michael Cole Beasley, 40, had an active violation of probation warrant out of the Lauderdale County Circuit Court. Investigators with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department received information on Beasley’s location. When law enforcement arrived to a vacant lot on Highland Street in Ripley, TN, Beasley was asleep in a black Chevy pickup truck. Upon searching the vehicle, investigators discovered several small bags of marijuana protruding from the top of a Crown Royal bag on top of the center console, which contained 13 bags of methamphetamine with a total net weight of 7.017 grams and 100% purity. Also located in the truck were digital scales, rolling papers, a torch, a hollow USB micro-pen, and two cell phones. At the time of his arrest, Beasley was on federal supervised release for a prior conviction in 2011 for being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm, for which he received a sentence of 63 months.

On September 18, 2018, United States District Court Judge Jon P. McCalla sentenced Beasley to 24 months imprisonment for the supervised release violation. On November 14, 2018, Beasley pled guilty to Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1). On February 28, 2019, United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Beasley to 77 months imprisonment followed by four (4) years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said: "This defendant has a long criminal history of felony and misdemeanor convictions involving violence, drug possession, and property offenses, and was on federal supervised release status for a firearms offense and state probation for a felony drug offense. Mr. Beasley has devoted his adult life to a career of criminal conduct in Lauderdale County, and that prior history has finally caught up with him again for possession of meth with a dangerous purity level. This sentence removing him from the community for more than 6 years will make Lauderdale County and West Tennessee a safer place."

This case was investigated by the Lauderdale Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Neal Oldham prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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