Paris, Tennessee Resident Sentenced to 15 Years for Federal Drug Trafficking and Firearms Offenses

Jackson, TN – John Adam Hoskins, 35, of Paris was sentenced to 188 months imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute and attempt to possess with intent to distribute actual methamphetamine. Hoskins was also sentenced as a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, Hoskins and a passenger were stopped for a traffic violation. Hoskins immediately told the officer that there was a firearm in the vehicle. Officers recovered a Smith and Wesson, .38 caliber revolver loaded with 5 rounds. A K-9 drug dog was utilized and alerted to the presence of narcotics in a backpack behind the driver’s seat. The backpack contained several glass pipes, a set of digital scales, $30,520 in cash, 44 Xanax pills, and 29 alprazolam pills. During the search of the vehicle, officers also found 4.55 grams of methamphetamine at 98% purity.

On December 18, 2019, Senior U.S. District Court Judge J. Daniel Breen sentenced Hoskins to 188 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Recidivist armed drug dealers pose a significant public safety risk to our communities, and must be punished and incapacitated in a meaningful way. Individuals who distribute harmful drugs into our rural communities can no longer hide. We are proud to work with our local law enforcement partners in Paris to use significant federal laws and sentencing to remove this dangerous offender from the streets, and we will continue to do so to reduce the threat of addiction, injury, violence, and death across West Tennessee."

This case was investigated by the Paris Police Department.

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

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