A Birmingham man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for gun and drug offenses. U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona announced that Jarrell Russell, 26, received a 240-month sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Madeline H. Haikala.
Russell had pleaded guilty in February to charges including possession with intent to distribute over 50 grams of methamphetamine and fentanyl, carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
Court documents reveal that on October 10, 2023, an Adamsville Police Department sergeant attempted to stop Russell for speeding. Russell initially refused to stop but later pulled into a parking lot and fled on foot. Officers arrested him after a brief chase and found a pink backpack near him containing methamphetamine, digital scales, a Glock pistol with an extended magazine, and other drug paraphernalia. A search of his vehicle uncovered fentanyl in the driver's side door.
Testing confirmed that the methamphetamine weighed over 74 grams while the blue substance was identified as 1.22 grams of fentanyl. At the time of his arrest, Russell was already a convicted felon due to a prior robbery conviction in Jefferson County Circuit Court.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany T. Byrd prosecuted the case.
