Michele Beckwith Acting U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California
Richard Clifton Turner, a 62-year-old resident of Placerville, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for his involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that federal agents executed a search warrant at Turner's home in Placerville, where they discovered over 40 pounds of methamphetamine and six firearms, one of which had been reported stolen. Turner is legally prohibited from possessing firearms due to five prior felony convictions, including vehicle theft and drug trafficking offenses.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella prosecuted the case.
This case falls under Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program designed to reduce violent crime and gun violence through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. The U.S. Department of Justice enhanced its violent crime reduction strategy on May 26, 2021, focusing on fostering community trust and legitimacy, supporting community-based violence prevention organizations, setting strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring outcomes.
