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Sparta man sentenced for meth

On Tuesday, 48-year-old Robert J. Smith, Jr., of Sparta, was sentenced to federal prison on a one-count superseding charge of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

Donald S. Boyce, United States attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced in a news release that Smith, who had previously pleaded guilty to the charge, was sentenced to 188 months (15.6 years) in prison with three years of supervised release and fined $400.

The indictment alleged that the methamphetamine offense occurred between 2014 and September 2016 in Perry, Randolph, St. Clair, and Franklin Counties.

Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Smith was involved with numerous other persons in the distribution of ice in southern Illinois. Ice is methamphetamine which has a purity level of at least 80 percent.

At sentencing, the district court found that Smith was responsible for the distribution of approximately 7.9 kilograms of ice.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Perry County Sheriff's Office, Percy Police Department, Steeleville Police Department, Illinois State Police, Sparta Police Department and Southern Illinois Drug Task Force.

The Randolph County State's Attorney's Office also assisted in the investigation.