Russell Javon Linney, a 34-year-old resident of Statesville, North Carolina, has been sentenced to 135 months in prison for methamphetamine trafficking. This will be followed by five years of supervised release. The announcement was made by Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

Bennie Mims, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, joined U.S. Attorney King in making the announcement.

Court documents reveal that an investigation into Linney's drug trafficking activities began in January 2023 by the ATF. Undercover agents purchased methamphetamine from Linney on several occasions. In one instance, he sold nearly a pound of methamphetamine to an undercover agent in South Carolina while he was on federal supervised release for a previous firearms conviction in the Western District of North Carolina.

Linney pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on August 8, 2024. He is currently in federal custody and will be transferred to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once a federal facility is designated.

U.S. Attorney King credited the ATF with investigating the case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William Wiseman prosecuted the case. Wiseman is a state prosecutor with the office of the 26th Prosecutorial District and was assigned by District Attorney Spencer Merriweather to serve as a SAUSA with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte. Wiseman is sworn in both state and federal courts, reflecting the partnership between his office and the United States Attorney's Office.