Shane Douglas Stallard, a 44-year-old Kingsport resident, has been given a prison sentence of over 17 years for his involvement in methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking. According to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Stallard will serve 205 months behind bars as decreed by the Honorable Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, followed by five years of supervised release.

As revealed through court documents, for a period spanning at least four months, Stallard was actively selling large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin/fentanyl in the Kingsport area. He and a partner were frequently travelling to North Carolina to purchase significant quantities of drugs, which included one kilogram of methamphetamine and six to seven ounces of heroin/fentanyl per trip. Not only did Stallard carry a firearm during his drug sales, but he also possessed several guns at his home and in a storage unit. In a previous instance, Stallard was found to have sold a heroin-like substance to a confidential informant which was later confirmed by lab tests to contain heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

Stallard's arrest on April 1, 2022, unfolded following a traffic stop, resulting in the discovery of a loaded firearm in the vehicle and an additional one along with roughly 80 grams of fentanyl. These findings indicated that he was en route to make another illegal sale. Further investigations led to a search warrant at Stallard's residence and storage unit, unearthing seven firearms, ammunition, around $27,000 in cash, and an excess of 300 grams of methamphetamine.

The investigation was a combined effort between the Kingsport Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a national initiative aimed to reduce violent crime and bolster the safety of communities. U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III oversaw the case where Assistant United States Attorney Emily M. Swecker represented the United States. PSN is part of a comprehensive strategy, initiated on May 26, 2021, that seeks to foster trust and legitimacy among communities, support violence-prevention organizations, prioritize strategic enforcement, and rigorously measure outcomes.