FORT SMITH, Ark — According to the US. Department of Justice, a Fort Smith man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for trafficking about 40 pounds of meth.
Christopher Palmer, 40, pleaded guilty to the meth charge, as well as two gun charges on June 29, 2023.
“As a repeat offender, [Palmer] chose to transport drugs and unlawfully [own a gun] knowing the consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe.
According to court documents, two DEA highway interdiction officers pulled Palmer over as he was driving a rental car near Marine, Illinois in May 2022.
Agents asked Palmer to exit the vehicle, and he complied, but once outside, he reportedly tried to get back in and evade the police.
Following Palmer’s attempt to flee the traffic stop, the officers detained him and conducted an open-air canine check of the vehicle. The canine indicated the presence of drugs, and the officers began a search of his car.
In the trunk of Palmer’s rental car, officers located a duffel bag stuffed with 40 bags holding approximately one pound each of crystal meth, totaling more than 17 kilograms of actual meth.
“The scourge of illicit drugs entering our communities, including meth, is alarming and tragic,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Joseph Dixon, head of DEA enforcement operations in southern Illinois. “This individual’s reckless actions and reliance on weapons to support his drug activities was equally damaging to our citizens.”
In the car’s center console, DEA officers located a loaded Glock 43 semi-automatic pistol. Palmer is unable to legally own a gun due to prior felony convictions.
Under sentencing guidelines, Palmer qualified as a “career offender” for a previous drug conviction. Following his imprisonment, Palmer will serve five years of supervised release.
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