Lincoln Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Possession of a Machine Gun and Marijuana

United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Detrick Anthony Michael Smith, 32, of Lincoln, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 1, 2024, in federal court in Lincoln, Nebraska for possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Senior United States District Court Judge John M. Gerrard sentenced Smith to 20 years’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Smith’s release from prison, he will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Smith pleaded guilty the charges on October 19, 2023.

Officers with the Lincoln Police Department executed a search warrant at the Smith’s apartment in Lincoln, Nebraska on April 6, 2022. The police located almost 3,500 grams of marijuana in the kitchen and bedroom area of the apartment. The marijuana was divided into numerous bags consistent with packaging for resale. The police also located digital scales, a heat sealer, a money counter, promethazine-codeine bottles, items containing THC, and a small quantity of cocaine. In the bedroom closet, the police located a duffel bag which contained two handguns. The two handguns were a Glock model 19, 9mm handgun with a loaded magazine, but with an empty chamber, and a Glock model 20, 10mm handgun loaded with an extended magazine, but with an empty chamber. The Glock model 20 had been modified with an aftermarket piece, commonly referred to as a “switch,” which illegally modified the gun to be able to fire fully automatic, rather than just semi-automatic. This illegal modification of the firearm to a machine gun was a significant factor in Smith’s sentence. Smith was home at the time of the search. Police located $11,624 in United States currency on Smith’s person.

This case was investigated by the Lincoln Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.