A Monroe City, Missouri woman was handed a tough, decade-long prison sentence for pushing meth in Quincy, Illinois. The Justice Department announced that Amanda Carroll, aged 35, will be spending the next 120 months behind bars, a sentence handed down by U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough on May 23, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of Illinois.
Last year, Carroll was indicted and later pleaded guilty to charges of methamphetamine distribution. A statement provided by the Justice Department detailed her arrest following a canine-triggered vehicle search on March 13, 2023, which led to the discovery of about half a pound of near-pure methamphetamine. While in custody, she was further found to be hiding more of the substance, accumulating to a total of 223.8 grams Carroll was responsible for.
The repercussions for distributing methamphetamine can be severe, with possible life imprisonment, fines up to $10,000,000, and life-long supervised release. Carroll's sentence, while stern, is a result of rigorous law enforcement coordination by the West Central Illinois Task Force, Illinois State Police, Quincy Police Department, and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. According to the Department of Justice, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah E. Seberger was the government's prosecution representative in this case.
Above and beyond the individual case, Carroll's sentencing is part of a wider undertaking. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), works to knit together various levels of law enforcement and communal groups, to curb violent crime and gun violence. This broader initiative was fortified by a strategy launched on May 26, 2021, by the Department, focusing on community trust building, supporting violence prevention organizations, strategic enforcement prioritization, and tracking the results.
