Virginia Men Sentenced for Misbranding

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – Two of ten defendants convicted as being part of a drug conspiracy that operated in Southwest Virginia were sentenced today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced today.

Cecil McConnell III, 44, of Coeburn, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of misbranding a drug. Today in District Court, McConnell III was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison.  

Cecil McConnell Jr., 69, of Dungannon, Va., was convicted following a jury trial of one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, three counts of distributing a controlled substance and one count of misbranding a drug. Today in District Court, McConnell Jr. was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison.  

“These defendants, and others, distributed dangerous substances,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “This case shows that the United States Attorney’s Office will work with our law enforcement partners to seek justice even in the most difficult of cases.”

The investigation of the case was conducted by the Virginia State Police, the Southwest Virginia Drug Task Force in Big Stone Gap, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Alachua County, Florida, Sheriff’s Office, the Wise County Sheriff’s Office and the Scott County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Lee is prosecuting the case for the United States.