Jackson, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Brantley Miller, 39, of Humboldt, TN, to six years in federal prison for his role in an organized drug trafficking scheme in West Tennessee. Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.
According to evidence presented in court, in 2019, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration, began an investigation into the illegal distribution of narcotics in the Western District of Tennessee. By using controlled purchases of narcotics, search warrants to review the contents of suspicious packages, and other investigative tactics, the agents determined that Kendall Young, Cortez Jackson, and others were shipping methamphetamine, fentanyl, and marijuana from California to Tennessee for redistribution.
Throughout the investigation’s course, law enforcement agents seized over 32 pounds of methamphetamine and over 101 grams of fentanyl in the Western District of Tennessee. Further, agents seized three firearms from the individuals involved in this conspiracy.
On September 24, 2024, Miller pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. On December 20, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Miller to 72 months in federal prison and ordered Miller to serve 3 years of supervised release upon completion of the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Miller was the final co-defendant to be sentenced in this drug trafficking conspiracy. Additionally, each of the following co-conspirators pled guilty and were sentenced by Judge Anderson as follows:
Kendall Young, 32, Humboldt, TN: 188 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Cortez Jackson, 29, Humboldt, TN: 134 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Vanessa Umanzor, 28, Huntingdon, TN: 43 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Tristen Teague, 28, Paris, TN: 100 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Orlando Sangster, 35, Humboldt, TN: 24 months in prison and 2 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Jonathan Sandoval, 31, Chula Vista, CA: 120 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Dejahn Jarrett, 31, Spring Valley, CA: 72 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Ronnie Young, 69, Humboldt, TN: 120 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Jaycent Montrell Pankey, a/k/a Jaycent Montrell Cox, 28, Jackson, TN: 42 months in prison and one year of supervised release for use of a telephone device to aid the distribution of methamphetamine.
Devon Avery Landers, 53, Jackson, TN: 36 months in prison and 3 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Joel Lynn Arnold 45, Lexington, TN: 84 months in prison and 4 years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
This investigation was conducted as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
This case was investigated by the FBI Jackson RA; the West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Christie R. Hopper and Hillary Parham, who prosecuted this case, as well as the law enforcement partners who investigated the case.
