Three Additional Defendants Sentenced In Large A-PVP Conspiracy

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On July 14, 2015, Desera Jade Allen, 27, and David Michael Stallard, 20, both of Kingsport, Tenn., were sentenced by the Honorable R. Leon Jordan, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 151 months and 56 months in prison respectively for their roles in an extensive a-PVP (alpha-pyrrolidinopentiophenone) distribution conspiracy in the Sullivan County, Tenn., area.  Additionally, William Aope Ward, 35, of Kingsport, Tenn., was sentenced on July 9, 2015, to serve 80 months in prison for his involvement in the a-PVP conspiracy.

A-PVP is a synthetic drug, primarily ordered from China, which is commonly referred to on the street as “gravel” or “flakka.” Common effects on users include: extreme paranoia; hallucinations; elevated blood pressure; extremely high body temperature; excited delirium; staying awake for days; hostility and having exceptional strength without apparent fatigue.  These are many of the characteristics of the drug that make it very dangerous for the user but also for law enforcement responding to people who are high on it.

According to plea agreements on file with the US District Court Clerk, Allen, Stallard and Ward conspired to distribute a combined aggregate total of approximately 11,400 grams of a-PVP.

Others who were previously sentenced in this a-PVP trafficking investigation include Austin Michael Stallard, Johnny Michael Stallard, Phillip Wayne Mullins, Johnny White, Evelyn Vickers and Michael Ray Mangum, who were sentenced by the Honorable R. Leon Jordan, U.S. District Court Judge to 121 months, 180 months, 151 months, 120 months, 110 months and 120 months in federal prison respectively.

Law enforcement agencies participating in the investigation which led to the indictment and subsequent conviction of Allen, Stallard and Ward and their co-defendants include the Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office; Kingsport Police Department; Hawkins County Sheriff’s Department; Johnson City Police Department; Greeneville Police Department; Hendersonville, North Carolina Police Department; and Scott County, Virginia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Taylor represented the United States.

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