Jackson, TN – A former resident of Arkansas, James Elmer Sneed, 37, has been sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., United States Attorney, announced the sentence today.
According to information presented in court, evidence revealed that James Elmer Sneed is a methamphetamine distributor who sold methamphetamine to individuals in Texas, Arkansas, and West Tennessee. Sneed previously sold methamphetamine to a female in Jackson, Tennessee. In January 2018, while traveling from Arkansas to Georgia, Sneed stopped in Jackson to meet with the female and sell her methamphetamine. After his arrival, Sneed was contacted by his co-defendant, William Hill, who is also a known narcotics distributor. Hill decided to travel to Jackson so that Sneed could arrange a meeting between Hill and the female subject for Hill to sell her drugs.
On January 4, 2018, Sneed rented a hotel room at the Country Inn & Suites in Jackson. After Hill arrived in Jackson, Sneed set up a meeting between Hill and the female subject. Sneed then left Jackson and let Hill use the hotel room for the purposes of storing and selling narcotics to the female and others.
On January 6, 2018, officers with the Jackson Police Department (JPD) were called to the Country Inn and Suites to assist management with the removal of the occupants from Sneed’s room. Management reported heavy foot traffic coming to and from the room, and the odor of marijuana outside the room. In addition, the occupants refused room service for several days, which was against hotel policy.
After officers entered the room, they observed a meth pipe on the bed and narcotics and money in an open safe. Hill and his girlfriend were removed from the room and Hill was
found in possession of the key to the safe. Later that day, members of JPD Metro Narcotics Unit obtained and executed a search warrant for the room. A search of the room revealed approximately 447 grams of crystal methamphetamine (“ice”) in the safe, three sets of digital scales, five meth pipes, cutting agent, and $2,530 in cash.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) laboratory tested the methamphetamine and confirmed that the net weight of the substance was 410 grams, and that the purity level was 84%.
On November 5, 2021, Sneed entered a guilty plea to conspiring with Hill and others to possess with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of actual methamphetamine.
On February 25, 2022, United States Chief Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Sneed to 120 months’ imprisonment to be followed by five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the Jackson Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Assistant United States Attorneys Josh Morrow and Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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