Jackson, TN – Following a jury trial in federal court,
Michael Jay Harris, 46, of McNairy County, Tenn. was convicted of possessing 98
grams of actual methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. U.S. Attorney D.
Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee announced the conviction
today.
According to information presented in court, on February 13,
2017, agents with the McNairy County Narcotics Unit, including officers with
the Selmer Police Department and McNairy County Sheriff’s Department, went to
the residence of Michael Jay Harris, in the northwestern corner of McNairy
County, in Finger, Tenn., to arrest Harris on an outstanding warrant.
While searching the residence, law enforcement discovered
Harris was in possession of a bag containing three and a half ounces of ice
methamphetamine and marijuana, as well as digital scales and drug
paraphernalia. Harris became combative and attempted to fight the officers. A
chemist with the Drug Enforcement Administration stated the methamphetamine was
more than 97 percent pure, and an agent with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation testified it could have been distributed to more than a thousand
drug users, based on its purity.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Harris is a
career drug offender who was destroying this rural community by his sale of
poisonous drugs, and his prior felony convictions have finally caught up with
him. Thanks to the great investigative work by our local law enforcement
partners at the Selmer Police Department and the McNairy County Sheriff’s
Department, he has been held accountable and removed from the community."
Sentencing is set for November 9, 2018, before U.S. District
Judge J. Daniel Breen. Harris has a lengthy criminal history, including
convictions for trafficking in cocaine and morphine, and assault charges. Based
on his prior convictions, he faces up to life imprisonment.
This investigation was conducted by the Selmer Police
Department, McNairy County Sheriff’s Department, and the Drug Enforcement
Administration.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Wilson prosecuted this case on
behalf of the government.
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