Defendant in Methamphetamine Conspiracy Sentenced to 270 Months in Federal Prison

Abingdon, VIRGINIA – In a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Abingdon, Edward Thomas DeBord, who was previously convicted of trafficking a large quantity of methamphetamine in Smyth County, Virginia, retaliating against a witness, and contempt of court, was sentenced to 270 months in prison. United States Attorney Thomas T. Cullen and Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring made the announcement today.  

DeBord, 49, of Saltville, Va., previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, one count of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of 100 grams or more of heroin, conspiring to retaliate against a witness, and willfully disobeying a court order. 

According to court records, DeBord engaged in a drug trafficking conspiracy from April 1, 2016, through April 11, 2017.  The conspiracy involved over 50 grams of crystal ice methamphetamine, over 953 grams of methamphetamine and over 125 grams of heroin. These substances were among the items seized from a Smyth County apartment DeBord shared with co-defendant Zachary Blue Carter. DeBord and Carter distributed methamphetamine from the apartment throughout the life of the conspiracy. 

Following DeBord’s guilty plea to the underlying drug conspiracy charges, court records show he continued to engage in criminal conduct by retaliating against a witness and knowingly and willfully disobeying a court order.  DeBord stole confidential records and caused them to be copied and distributed, both in paper format and through distribution on social media, intentionally causing potential harm to witnesses in the case. DeBord’s actions were in direct violation of a court order directing that confidential records not be disseminated in connection with the case. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Smyth County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and Saltville Police Department investigated the case.  The Virginia State Police assisted with DeBord’s arrest and consent search of his apartment.  Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Virginia Assistant Attorney General assigned to the Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States, with assistance from Special Assistant United States Attorney Roy F. Evans, who also serves as Commonwealth’s Attorney for Smyth County.