SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Mechanicsburg, Illinois, man, Gerald Hurley, 47, of the 13000 block of Darnell Road, was sentenced on July 18, 2022, to five years in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
At the sentencing hearing in front of United States District Judge Sue E. Myerscough, the government presented evidence that Hurley was responsible for distributing over five kilograms of methamphetamine in the Central District of Illinois.
Hurley was indicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty in March 2022. He was originally released on bond but then re-arrested and detained in August 2021 after he violated the conditions of his bond following his unsuccessful discharge from substance abuse treatment.
The statutory penalties for possession of 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine with intent to distribute are up to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and up to a life term of supervised release.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, the Illinois State Police, and the Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.