A Booneville man was sentenced today to nine years in prison for distribution of methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Willie Nichols, 39, of Booneville, Mississippi, pled guilty in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Nichols was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Glen Davidson to 110 months for the conspiracy.  He was further sentenced to 3 years of supervised release following his release from prison. Nichols is currently in custody.

Nichols was involved in a drug trafficking organization responsible for transporting large quantities of methamphetamine from Texas and distributing it throughout the Northern District of Mississippi. Nichols participated in the conspiracy by making multiple purchases of eight ounces of methamphetamine from the head of the drug trafficking organization for distribution throughout the Northern District of Mississippi. The investigation of this drug trafficking organization and its participants spanned over a year and is still ongoing. Nichols was indicted along with sixteen (16) other individuals.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics investigated the case as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program in partnership with state and local law enforcement.  Agencies assisting with the investigation included the United States Marshal’s Service, the United States Postal Inspector’s Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly M. Hampton and Feleica L. Wilson prosecuted the case.