Marion Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug Charge

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Marion, Virginia man, who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine, pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke to Federal drug trafficking charges, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick announced today.

Jason Dee Howell, 36, of Marion, Virginia, pled guilty today to one count of conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of a mixture containing methamphetamine.

“Methamphetamine continues to be a growing threat throughout the Western District of Virginia,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. We will continue to work with our local, state and federal law enforcement partners to combat the rising tide of methamphetamine abuse in our communities.”

At sentencing, Howell, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum statutory sentence of life in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police, the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office, the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew Bassford prosecuted the case for the United States.