Glasgow brothers await sentencing
on marijuana-growing charges
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| The brothers pleaded guilty after law enforcement officers watched their crops in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests for seven years. (GUILLERMO ARIAS/ AP Photo) |
Two Glasgow brothers who grew more than 1,000 marijuana plants in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are now facing at least 10 years in prison.
Michael Jay Shifflett, 46, and Jackson David Shifflett, 51, will be sentenced by a federal judge after the Virginia Western Probation Office prepares a presentencing report.
The Shiffletts were arrested in August 2008 without incident and pleaded guilty to a federal charge of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute the marijuana – a felony that carries a mandatory 10-year minimum sentence.
The arrest followed a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police, the U.S. Forest Service, and local police forces, including the Lexington and Buena Vista police departments.
Buena Vista Police Chief A.J. Panebianco said that while the DEA used Buena Vista police facilities, the DEA handled the whole investigation.
Woody Lipps, the U.S. Forest Service Patrol captain for the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, said the Shiffletts’ marijuana crop had been tracked for seven years before investigators gathered enough evidence to make an arrest.
“If you continue to grow marijuana, we will catch you,” said Lipps.
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