Peoria Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison for Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

PEORIA, Ill. – A Peoria, Illinois man, Robert Lee Ford, 38, of the 700 block of South Helen Street, has been sentenced to 120 months in the Bureau of Prisons, to be followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

At the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Joe B. McDade, the government presented evidence that on May 10, 2022, Ford sold 100.6 grams of methamphetamine that tested 90% pure. On May 30, 2022, DEA and Peoria Police continued surveillance on Ford, who parked his vehicle at a gas station on Lincoln Avenue in Peoria. When Ford entered the gas station, officers approached his vehicle and saw a large bag of suspected methamphetamine sitting in the center console. Officers arrested Ford at the gas station counter and located $2,500 cash in his wallet. Following the arrest, officers recovered a clear plastic baggie from Ford’s car containing 111.9 grams of methamphetamine that tested 81% pure.

Ford was indicted in June 2022 and pled guilty in September 2022. He has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals since his arrest.

The statutory penalties for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute are 10 years to life imprisonment and a possible $10 million dollar fine, followed by five years to life of supervised release.

The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Peoria Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald L. Hanna represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Ford is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.