LUFKIN, Texas - A 32-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Joseph D. Brown today.
James Edward Turner pleaded guilty on Mar. 23, 2018, to possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Ron Clark today. Turner was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $46,589.74.
According to information presented in court, on March 30, 2017, a law enforcement officer in Nacogdoches County, Texas stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation. During the stop, the officer called for a canine and ran the identifications of the passengers through law enforcement databases. Turner’s information showed a possible burglary warrant outstanding from another state. During a search of the vehicle, the officer located a laundry bag containing numerous prescription pills still in the bottles. These pills were determined to have been stolen in a burglary the previous night of a Walgreens pharmacy in Arkansas. Arkansas police spoke with the Nacogdoches Sheriff’s Office and stated they were currently investigating two Walgreens burglaries in Little Rock. A check with Walgreens records determined the pills recovered in the traffic stop were from both Walgreens burglaries. A total of 6,403 oxycodone pills, in various dosage units, were recovered. Turner was indicted on Sep. 20, 2017 and charged with drug trafficking violations.
This case was investigated by the Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul A. Hable.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
