A federal judge in Austin has handed a nearly 20-year federal prison term to 32-year-old Blane Spear after a June 2024 search of his home turned up what authorities describe as a sizeable stash of drugs and a cache of guns. Spear pleaded guilty to federal drug and firearms charges earlier this year.
Prosecutors say agents seized 1,291 grams of methamphetamine from Spear’s residence, along with 89 grams of fentanyl, 309 grams of cocaine, and 159 grams of heroin. Officers also collected 11 firearms, three of which were reported stolen, a machine gun conversion device, and more than $10,000 in cash, according to KXAN.
Court records show Spear waived appearance and entered guilty pleas in December 2025, and the U.S. District Court in Austin accepted the plea that month, according to CaseMine. The filings state he pleaded to the counts listed in the indictment and left the question of punishment squarely in the judge’s hands.
The court ultimately imposed a 235-month sentence on the trafficking count, which works out to roughly 19 years and 7 months behind bars. Federal officials characterized the punishment as nearly two decades in prison, and U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons said the case shows how closely federal and local agencies are working together, according to KXAN.
Charges and penalties
Spear faced federal charges of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. The sentence followed guideline calculations and other factors laid out in the court record, per CaseMine.
What this means locally
In recent large-scale meth and fentanyl prosecutions, federal prosecutors in the Western District of Texas have consistently pushed for long prison terms, and Austin-area judges have responded with multi-decade sentences in some cases. In November 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced a 324-month sentence in a separate Austin meth case, highlighting the district’s aggressive stance on major drug trafficking, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Spear, 32, is listed in the federal docket as the defendant in AU:24-CR-00242, and the record reflects that his plea was accepted in December, per Leagle. Prosecutors have not offered additional details beyond their press statement and what is already in the court file.
