Michael Currier Sentenced to 292 Months in Prison for Cocaine Trafficking

KNOXVILLE, TN—Michael Currier, 34, of Clinton, Tenn., was sentenced to 292 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, by the Honorable Thomas W. Phillips, U.S. District Judge. The sentence was the result of a guilty verdict that was returned on September 3, 2010, after a three-day jury trial. Currier was convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine. The proof at trial showed a wide-ranging conspiracy that operated from 2000-2008 and involved 10 people. The proof at trial also showed that cocaine was brought into the Eastern District of Tennessee from Nashville, Tenn., and Dallas, Tex. The evidence at the March 21, 2011, sentencing hearing showed that the conspiracy involved 15-50 kilograms of cocaine, that the defendant was a leader within the conspiracy, and that the defendant utilized firearms in furtherance of the drug conspiracy.

“People who are thinking about committing drug crimes need to notice the severity of this sentence. The price that you pay for violations of federal drug crimes is high. This case should deter others from this type of criminal activity,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Killian.

The indictment and subsequent conviction of Currier was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Roane County Sheriff’s Office, and Harriman Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Lewen, Jr., represented the United States.

This case was part of the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) programs. OCDETF is the primary weapon of the United States against the highest-level drug trafficking organizations operating within the United States, importing drugs into the United States, or laundering the proceeds of drug trafficking. The HIDTA program enhances and coordinates drug control efforts among local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies. The program provides agencies with coordination, equipment, technology, and additional resources to combat drug trafficking and its harmful consequences in critical regions of the United States.