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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2008

Decatur County Man Pleads Guilty in Methamphetamine Conspiracy

APR 10 -- Jackson, Tennessee - JIMMY RAY PETTIGREW, 47, of Decatur County pled guilty today in Federal District Court, in Jackson, Tennessee, before Judge James D. Todd announced David Kustoff, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee. PETTIGREW pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute in excess of 500 grams of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

The evidence in court showed that PETTIGREW and others obtained multiple kilograms of methamphetamine from co-conspirators in California and Georgia and then transported the methamphetamine to the Western District of Tennessee for distribution. PETTIGREW operated a large-scale drug distribution network in the Western District of Tennessee, which was completely dismantled by the successful investigation of law enforcement agents, resulting in the arrest of 17 defendants.

The conspiracy charge carries a penalty of not less than 10 years, not more than LIFE and a $4,000,000 fine. PETTIGREW will be sentenced on July 16, 2008, in Federal District Court, in Jackson, Tennessee.

The investigation was handled by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Madison County Metro Narcotics Unit and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jerry Kitchen handled the case for the government.