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Published on January 15, 2025
Memphis Man Sentenced to Over 8 Years for Meth TraffickingSource: Google Street View

A Memphis resident has been dealt a heavy blow by the judicial system with a sentence that labels him a significant player in the world of drug distribution, local authorities announced a sentence of 100 months in prison for Richard Collins, 35, after his guilty plea for aiding and abetting the spread of methamphetamine, as per a press release by the United States Attorney's Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

Back in June 2023, Richard Collins was caught in an undercover sting by the ATF, who were running an operation against the 92 Bishop Blood street gang's narcotics activities. Collins acted as the middleman in a transaction involving the sale of approximately two ounces of pure methamphetamine to ATF agents for $500, coordinating with another individual to deliver the drugs at a location on Jackson Avenue, this deal ultimately leading to his indictment in February 2024 and his subsequent guilty plea in October the same year.

The sentencing, held on January 8, 2025, pronounced by United States District Court Judge Thomas L. Parker, carries with it no possibility of parole. Which marks a prescriptive end to Collins' immediate future outside the confines of federal incarceration, followed by a mandated four-year period of supervised release. Special Agent in Charge Marcus S. Watson of the ATF-Nashville Field Office remarked on the importance of interagency collaboration, saying, “The ATF works collaboratively with its state, local, and federal partners to ensure that justice is served on those individuals who repeatedly and intentionally violate the law”, emphasizing the constant struggle against organized crime.

The full force of law enforcement came down heavily on Collins, with multiple agencies like the Memphis Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and aid from the Drug Enforcement Administration's Nashville laboratory involved in his investigation. On the prosecutorial front, Assistant United States Attorneys Bryce H. Phillips and Wendy Cornejo won accolades from Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for successfully bringing the case to a close.