KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On August 2, 2024, following a five-day jury trial in United States District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, a jury convicted Cumecus Cates, 48, and Grady Chandler, 43, both of Knoxville, Tennessee, of Conspiracy to Distribute over 50 grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846 and 841()(1)(A) and multiple counts of Distribution of over 50 grams of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A) and 18 U.S.C. § 2.
The sentencing date for Cates and Chandler will be set later this year before the Honorable Katherine A. Crytzer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court at Knoxville. Cates and Chandler both face sentences of up to life in prison.
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The evidence presented at trial included FBI recorded drug transactions, witness testimony, and seized narcotics, and showed that Cates and Chandler were distributing large quantities of methamphetamine in the Knoxville area throughout 2022 and 2023.
United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III of the Eastern District of Tennessee made the announcement.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the joint investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Cates and Chandler included the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) HIDTA Task Force. The FBI HIDTA Task Force includes the Roane County Sheriff’s Office, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, Blount County Sheriff’s Office, and Sevier County Sheriff’s Office. The Drug Enforcement Administration also assisted in this investigation by conducting drug analysis on seized narcotics in the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cynthia Davidson and Michael Gilmore represented the United States at trial.
This case was part of the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the HIDTA programs. OCDETF is the primary weapon of the United States against the highest-level drug trafficking organizations operating within the United States, importing drugs into the United States, or laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking. The HIDTA program enhances and coordinates drug control efforts among local, State, and Federal law enforcement agencies. The program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.
Source: Read Original Release
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