Caruthersville man sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for meth possession

Willie B. Hollywood, 42, of Caruthersville, Missouri, has been sentenced to 262 months in federal prison on one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Hollywood appeared Monday before U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. in Cape Girardeau, according to the release. In addition to his sentence, Hollywood was ordered to forfeit $73,960 in drug proceeds and will be placed on supervised release for five years after the completion of his incarceration.

The release stated Hollywood was arrested after officers observed him meet with a suspected drug courier in Kennett, Missouri, and found him to be in possession of 20 pounds of methamphetamine. During the investigation, agents seized the $73,960, which has now been forfeited.

Hollywood has a criminal history including convictions for armed robbery and a prior federal conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in 2006.

Participating agencies in the investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the SEMO Drug Task Force, the Dunklin County Sheriff’s Department and the Kennett Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Willis prosecuted the case.