A West Plains, Mo., woman was sentenced in federal court for possessing methamphetamine to distribute.
Amanda J. Jones, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 18 years and four months in federal prison without parole.
On Oct. 12, 2023, Jones pleaded guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
A Howell County sheriff’s department officer contacted Jones on March 30, 2022, as she was driving a vehicle that did not have an operating registration lamp on the rear license plate. The officer searched the vehicle and found 226.72 grams of pure methamphetamine, 210 fentanyl capsules, 12.62 grams of cocaine, and $2,615 in cash.
At the time of the traffic stop, Jones was on bond after being charged in state court with drug trafficking and illegally possessing firearms. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence in August 2021 and seized distributive amounts of fentanyl and psilocybin, along with multiple firearms and cash.
In June 2022, while Jones was on bond in two separate drug-trafficking cases, law enforcement officers again seized distributive amounts of methamphetamine and fentanyl from her residence.
According to court documents, Jones sold fentanyl that ultimately caused the death of a West Plains, Mo., man in September 2020.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Eatmon. It was investigated by the Howell County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department, and the South Central Drug Task Force.
