Zachary T. Lee Acting United States Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia
A Bristol, Virginia man has been sentenced to 96 months in federal prison after being convicted of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. Christopher M. Sullivan, 31, was found guilty in June on charges related to a drug trafficking conspiracy.
United States Attorney C. Todd Gilbert commented on the case, saying, "Methamphetamine has ravaged Southwest Virginia for decades, causing cycles of addiction and misery in its wake." He expressed gratitude to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and local partners for their work on the case.
Shane K. Todd, Acting Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Washington Division, noted an increase in methamphetamine distribution in western Virginia. He thanked DEA teams and local partners for their efforts in addressing this public safety threat.
Court documents revealed that Sullivan conspired with inmate Christopher David Johnson and others to distribute methamphetamine from Georgia into Southwest Virginia. Johnson operated a large-scale distribution operation from his prison cell using smuggled phones.
Sullivan communicated with Johnson to further the conspiracy's goals, including distributing methamphetamine and wiring money at Johnson's direction. In December 2024, Johnson received a 20-year federal prison sentence for his role.
The investigation involved multiple law enforcement agencies across Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Whit Pierce and Corey Hall are prosecuting the case.
