HSI Douglas case results in 6-year sentence for methamphetamine trafficker
DOUGLAS, Ariz. — A federal judge sentenced Taylor Melton Addington, 33, of Phoenix, April 13 to six years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for his involvement in trafficking methamphetamine following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Addington pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
The judge also ordered Addington to pay a $5,000 fine.
“This defendant went through great lengths to peddle a dangerous drug in our communities though fortunately, HSI was at the forefront of his criminal activity,” said HSI Arizona Special Agent in Charge Scott Brown. “Let this sentence send a clear message to those who are considering trafficking drugs — you will get caught and you will be brought to justice.”
In September 2019, Addington sold approximately four pounds of methamphetamine to undercover government agents at his auto shop in Phoenix. In the weeks that followed, he negotiated with an undercover agent to provide an additional 100 pounds of methamphetamine, which the parties agreed would be delivered to the state of Washington. While the transaction was being negotiated, Addington sent the undercover agent a photo of a partial shipment of the drugs.
Addington was arrested on Oct. 23, 2019, in Oak Harbor, Washington, when he delivered 50 pounds of methamphetamine — the first part of the 100-pound transaction — to the undercover agent.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stefani K. Hepford of the District of Arizona, Tucson, prosecuted the case.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
Updated: