Dealer Nets Twenty Years for Kilo of Crystal Meth

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Felony Drug Unit obtained a conviction today against a drug dealer caught with a kilogram of crystal methamphetamine. Joshua Leroy Cooper, 33, was convicted of Possession with Intent to Sell Methamphetamine in a Drug Free Zone. Under the terms of the agreement, Cooper must serve twenty years in prison without the possibility of parole.

In a plea hearing before Judge Bob McGee, Assistant District Attorney Hector Sanchez explained to the Court that on March 2, 2015, Detective Brad Yearout and other members of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit executed a search warrant at 338 Oglewood Avenue where they found Cooper in possession of crystal methamphetamine weighing 2.7 pounds or just over one kilogram. Cooper was also in possession of $12,398, a digital scale, and other items of drug paraphernalia used to distribute drugs. Cooper admitted to officers that he would buy large quantities of methamphetamine from his supplier and that he paid his supplier approximately $100,000 in drug proceeds the previous night.

Cooper has previous convictions for Robbery, Aggravated Assault, and Child Abuse and has been identified as a member of the Aryan Nation.

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.