Man sentenced ten years in prison for meth possession on Amtrak in Omaha
A 47-year-old Illinois man was sentenced to 10 years in federal court in Omaha Friday.
By News Channel NebraskaOMAHA, Neb -- A 47-year-old Illinois man was sentenced to 10 years in federal court in Omaha Friday.
The U.S. Attorney announced Monday that Shawron Thomas was sentenced on Sept. 16 after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The Chief U.S. District Judge sentenced Thomas to 120 months’ imprisonment.
After his release from prison, Thomas will begin a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Court documents said on Jan. 16, 2021, a Nebraska State Patrol trooper doing routine interdiction work encountered Thomas on the Amtrak train in Omaha.
It was reported that Thomas had a suitcase at his feet below the seat in which he was sitting.
The NSP trooper and Thomas engaged in a conversation about Thomas’s travel, during which the trooper noticed signs of possible drug trafficking, according to court documents.
Thomas consented to have a drug detection canine sniff the suitcase, and court documents said the canine alerted to the suitcase. The trooper then searched the case.
Inside, it was reported that agents found seven bundles of meth weighing a total of 5,049 grams. One bundle, weighing 467 grams, was submitted to the crime laboratory for testing, which determined it was 100 percent pure methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Drug Enforcement Administration.