Etowah County Man Sentenced to 13.5 Years in Major Drug Conspiracy

BIRMINGHAM—A federal judge today sentenced a Gadsden man to 13.5 years in prison for heading a cocaine trafficking ring in Etowah County, U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance, FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley and Etowah County District Attorney Jimmy Harp announced.

U.S. District Judge C. Lynwood Smith Jr. sentenced ROBERT LATRENT TREADWELL, 36, on charges of drug conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm—a .45-caliber pistol. Along with the prison sentence, Judge Smith ordered TREADWELL to serve 10 years supervised release after his prison term is completed.

TREADWELL pleaded guilty to the charges on Jan. 22, 2009.

According to court documents, TREADWELL was the leader of a cocaine conspiracy in Etowah County involving numerous individuals over the course of about eight years. The investigation eventually led to the arrest of Treadwell On Oct. 23, 2008. Treadwell was arrested at his home, upon the execution of a search warrant where more than a kilogram of cocaine and weapons were found. Treadwell acknowledged trafficking more than 300 kilograms of cocaine over about five years.

Vance praised the cooperative work of the Etowah County Drug Task Force and the FBI throughout this long-term investigation, which has culminated in 14 convictions over the past three years.

Maley thanked the Etowah County Drug Task Force, which includes Etowah County Sheriff’s deputies and Gadsden Police officers, for its members hard and committed work throughout the investigation.

“The cooperation between the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI and the Etowah County Drug Task Force was the only way we were able to take this level of drug dealers off the street,” said Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin. “It’s great for the judge to issue a sentence of this length. It’s deserved,” he said.

“These were folks that needed to be off the street,” Entrekin said of the drug conspiracy members. “Without the cooperation among law enforcement, they weren’t being touched,” he said. “It has made the streets a lot safer for our citizens in Etowah County.”

This case was investigated by the Etowah County Drug Task Force and the FBI, through its Safe Streets Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brad Felton.