Saltville Man Sentenced to 262 Months in Prison for Role in Methamphetamine Conspiracy

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – Jeremy Olinger, the second defendant to be sentenced after being convicted of conspiring to traffic methamphetamine in Smyth County, was sentenced last week to 262 months in federal prison, United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring announced.

Olinger, 38, previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and one count of possessing with the intent to distribute and distributing 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  On June 3, 2019, Adam Conley, 37, of Glade Spring, Va., was sentenced to 60 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy.

Two other co-defendants, Amanda Crystal Moore, 31, of Chilhowie, Va., and Michelle Renee Boardwine, 36, of Saltville, Va., will be sentenced later this year.

“Methamphetamine is a deadly drug that has devastating effects on our communities,” U.S. Attorney Cullen stated today.  “I am grateful for the dedication of our law enforcement partners in disrupting this major source of supply in southwest Virginia and sending him to federal prison for over 20 years.” 

“Our communities continue to suffer from the effects of dangerous drugs, like crystal ice methamphetamine,” Attorney General Herring stated today.  “We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who bring this drug into the Commonwealth and work with our law enforcement partners to keep the Commonwealth safe.”

According to documents filed with the court, from September 2015 through November 2016, Olinger conspired with at least five individuals to distribute methamphetamine throughout the Western District of Virginia, and elsewhere. Specifically, Olinger admitted to obtaining “crystal ice” methamphetamine, a potent form of the drug, by the pound, two or three times per week, sometimes traveling to sources located in California.  The crystal ice Olinger obtained and distributed was an extremely pure form of the drug. Once obtaining the drug, Olinger further distributed it to his sources of distribution as a source of personal income.  Olinger admitted to trafficking 5 to 15 kilograms of crystal ice during the life of this conspiracy. 

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Smyth County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office.  Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Roy Evans are prosecuting the case for the United States.