Wise County Meth Distributor, Who Possessed Firearms, Sentenced to Over 15 Years

ABINGDON, Va. – A Wise County, Virginia man, was sentenced last week to more than 15 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine and illegally possessing firearms.

Justine Kyle Elliott, 33, previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Last week he was sentenced to 188 months of federal incarceration.

According to court documents, Elliott's conviction stems from an August 2021 arrest in Coeburn, Virginia, when police responded to a report that Elliot was asleep at the wheel of a vehicle parked in a bank drive-thru. When officers searched his vehicle, they discovered a large quantity of methamphetamine and several firearms. Elliott later admitted to being involved in the distribution of methamphetamine throughout Southwest Virginia. Elliott trafficked a large quantity of crystal ice methamphetamine and cocaine into Southwest Virginia over a sixteen-month period, including more than 30 kilograms of methamphetamine, some of which was 100% pure.

United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai of the ATF's Washington Division made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Coeburn Police Department investigated the case.

Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General's Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.

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