Tennessee Man Sentenced to Over Eight Years for Selling Methamphetamine and Firearms

A Tennessee man was sentenced Thursday to eight years and five months in prison for selling methamphetamine, unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime, and engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license.

According to court documents, Jamaal Derrell Maxwell, 30, of Memphis, sold methamphetamine pills and firearms to a confidential informant and an ATF undercover agent. Beginning Feb. 2, 2024, and continuing until April 3, 2024, the defendant sold more than 500 pills containing methamphetamine and four firearms. The firearms included two semi-automatic rifles, one assault-style rifle, and one shotgun. Maxwell, a felon at the time he sold the firearms, was prohibited from possessing any firearm. In 2022, Maxwell was convicted in the State of Oklahoma for inducing an adult teenager to become a prostitute.

Because Maxwell sold firearms while simultaneously trafficking drugs, he was also guilty of possessing a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Interim U.S. Attorney Joseph C. Murphy Jr. for the Western District of Tennessee made the announcement.

The ATF investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Marcus Johnson and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neal Oldham and Wendy Cornejo for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee prosecuted the case.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee and surrounding areas. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.