Danville, Illinois, Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Drug Trafficking with Multiple Firearms

URBANA, Ill. – A Danville, Illinois, man, James G. Phillips, 34, of the 900 block of North Hazel Street, was sentenced on July 7, 2023, to 200 months of imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm as a felon.

At the sentencing hearing in front of U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce, the government presented evidence that law enforcement executed a traffic stop of a car in Danville, and, during the stop, agents discovered a backpack belonging to Phillips, a passenger, that contained nearly 4.5 pounds of high purity methamphetamine, two handguns, and several thousand dollars in United States currency. At the time, Phillips was on mandatory supervised release in connection with a state conviction for unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, and he also had three prior convictions for controlled substance offenses.

Also at the hearing, Judge Bruce stated that Phillips’s behavior was something he would expect to see from a younger man. Explaining why 200 months of imprisonment was a just sentence, Judge Bruce told Phillips, “You need to stop and figure out where your life is going.”

Phillips had previously pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charges.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine included at least ten years to life imprisonment, up to a $10,000,000 fine, and a maximum life term of supervised release. The penalties for possessing a firearm as a felon in Phillips’s case were up to ten years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release. Finally, carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime required a consecutive mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to life imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to five years of supervised release.

The Danville Police Department and the Vermilion County Metropolitan Enforcement Group investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney William J. Lynch represented the government in the prosecution in collaboration with the Vermilion County State’s Attorney’s Office.