Smith County methamphetamine dealer receives lengthy federal prison sentence for drug trafficking violation in the Eastern District of Texas

TYLER, Texas - A Tyler drug dealer has been sentenced to over 15 years in federal prison for trafficking methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

Charles Ray Griffith, Jr., 36, also known as Root, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 188 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle on July 6, 2026.

According to information presented in court, Griffith was detained while driving vehicles on two separate occasions in July and September 2024, resulting in the discovery of a total of 140.30 grams of methamphetamine. During one attempted traffic stop, Griffith fled recklessly at a high rate of speed on a motorcycle through residential neighborhoods, disregarding stop signs and traffic signals and driving on the wrong side of the road before crashing in the yard of a private residence, where he was apprehended.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The case was investigated by the FBI; U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Smith County Sheriff's Office; and Tyler Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.

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