North Texas man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for role in methamphetamine distribution conspiracy

FORT WORTH, Texas — A North Texas man was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Reed C. O’Connor to 120 months in federal prison terms for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy,

This sentence was announced U.S. Attorney John Parker of the Northern District of Texas.  The following agencies investigated this case:  Drug Enforcement Administration; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Texas Department of Public Safety; and Fort Worth Police Department.

Nathan Bryant Cooper, 36, of Haltom City, Texas, has been in custody since his arrest in September 2015 on a related federal criminal complaint.  He pleaded guilty in November 2015 to one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

Last month, the following co-conspirators in the case received lengthy federal prison sentences:

• Winfred Morgan Trammel, 39, of Breckenridge, Texas, 262 months,
• Larry Hawkins, 59, of Wichita Falls, Texas, 180 months,
• Jackie Lynn Watters, 50, of Fort Worth, Texas, 180 months,
• Matthew Rutledge, 33, of Fort Worth, Texas, 324 months, and
• Joel Prickett, 37, of Fort Worth, Texas, 160 months.

A total of 29 defendants were charged in the case; 28 have been convicted, and most of those have been sentenced.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Shawn Smith, Northern District of Texas, was in charge of the prosecution.