A Missouri man from Chillicothe, Scott Young, 37, was handed a 60-month prison sentence on April 25th for pushing meth in the Land of Lincoln. According to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of Illinois, Young was busted distributing the narcotic on two separate occasions back in 2019.

Throwing the book at him, U.S. District Judge Colleen R. Lawless determined the impact of Young's meth slinging had taken its toll on local communities. With Young having pled guilty to the charges in September 2023, his indictment came promptly following his indictment in December 2019.

The scales of justice could have tipped even heavier against Young. For dealing methamphetamine, he was looking at penalties that soared up to 40 years behind bars, a financial blow up to $5 million, and potentially an eternity under the government's watchful eye with a lifetime of supervised release. But it seems he got off with a lighter sentence—just 60 months to ponder his choices and their consequences.

Young's fall from grace was the result of a combined effort by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police, and Quincy Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir at the helm of the government's charge. And it wasn't just a local squabble. Young's case was ushered under the umbrella of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a nationwide crackdown aiming to reduce violent crimes and gun violence, creating a shield over endangered communities.

The Department of Justice launched an escalated combat-against-violence strategy in May 2021, enhancing PSN. They aimed to bolster trust between law enforcement and the communities they promised to protect, encourage local organizations that intercede before violence erupts, deliver strategically targeted enforcement, and critically, keep the score of their triumphs and failures in this ongoing battle.