McNairy County Man Sentenced to Life Imprisonment for Methamphetamine Trafficking

Jackson, TN. – Michael Jay Harris, 47, of McNairy County, TN was sentenced to life imprisonment for methamphetamine trafficking. D. Michael Dunavant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.

Proof at trial showed that on February 13, 2017, agents with the McNairy County Narcotics Unit, including officers with the Selmer Police Department and McNairy County Sheriff’s Department, went to the residence of Michael Jay Harris, in the Northwestern corner of McNairy County, in Finger, TN, to arrest Harris on an outstanding warrant. Law enforcement found Harris in possession of a bag containing three and a half ounces of ice methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as digital scales and drug paraphernalia. When the agent found the narcotics, Harris became combative and attempted to fight the officers. A chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration found the methamphetamine was more than 97 percent pure, and an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation testified it could have been distributed to more than a thousand drug users, based on its purity.

Following an August 2018 trial, Harris was convicted by a jury for possession of 98 grams of actual methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Harris had four previous drug trafficking convictions in the State of Tennessee, and faced a mandatory life sentence as a career drug offender.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Methamphetamine that is trafficked in and through West Tennessee continues to increase in purity, which increases its potential to cause addiction, injury, and death. Harris is a career drug offender who has devoted his life to criminal activity that endangered the citizens of West Tennessee, and this life sentence is well-earned and justified to protect the public. I commend the outstanding investigative work of local law enforcement, and thank AUSA Matt Wilson for his effective prosecution of this important case."

On November 8, 2018, U.S. District Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Harris to life imprisonment.

This case was investigated by the Selmer Police Department, McNairy County Sheriff’s Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.