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Smith County Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

U.S. Attorney’s Office November 17, 2009
  • Eastern District of Texas (409) 839-2538

TYLER, TX—U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced today that a 24-year-old Tyler, Texas man has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas. 

JOSHUA LEE DEAR pleaded guilty on July 29, 2009, to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced today to 100 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis. Dear also agreed to the forfeiture of firearms and $50,000 in cash.

According to information presented in court, since February 2004, Dear was part of a drug conspiracy ring distributing methamphetamine to others in the Longview, Texas area. A federal grand jury returned a 17-count indictment on Feb. 4, 2009, charging 19 individuals, including Dear, with federal drug trafficking crimes.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the East Texas HIDTA Violent Crimes Task Force, the Gregg County CODE Unit, the Gregg County Sheriff's Office, the Longview Police Department, the Gregg County District Attorney's Office and the Kilgore Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard L. Moore.

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