Nashville Man Sentenced to 135 Months for Marijuana Conspiracy

NASHVILLE, Tenn.- May 12, 2014- Joshua Lee Alan Eichel, 32, of Nashville, Tenn., was sentenced on May 8, 2014, to 135 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Kevin H. Sharp, for conspiring to possess and distribute 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, announced David Rivera, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.  The prison term will be followed by five years of supervised release.

Eichel was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2013 and pleaded guilty in December 2013.

As described in Eichel’s plea agreement, in a statement Eichel gave to agents following his arrest in March 2013, he claimed to have been the largest hydroponic marijuana dealer in Nashville.  Eichel told agents he was the leader of a conspiracy whose members purchased large amounts of marijuana from a variety of sources in California and Oregon.  Eichel also explained to agents how he and his co-conspirators would then ship the marijuana to the Nashville area in order to resell it.

Agents had previously identified and intercepted a number of packages shipped by members of the conspiracy prior to executing a search warrant at Eichel’s residence, located at 121 Grant Park Dr. in Franklin, Tenn. on March 13, 2013.  During the execution of the search warrant, Agents found and seized packaging materials, shipping materials, and approximately $21,000 cash.

Prior to this conviction, Eichel had been convicted in the Middle District of Tennessee, in 2003, of distributing cocaine and conspiring to possess marijuana with intent to distribute.

“This multi-agency investigation with will have a lasting impact on reducing the level of narcotics available on our streets that all too often fan the flames of other violent crimes impacting our communities” said Jeff Fulton, special agent in charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

This matter was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, as well as the 18th and 21st Judicial District Drug Task Forces, the Franklin Police Department, and the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission.  The United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent A. Hannafan.