NEWS RELEASE
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
WESTERN DISTRICT OF VIRGINIA
Julia C. Dudley Acting United States Attorney Brian McGinn Public Affairs Specialist |
BB&T Building 310 1st Street, S.W., Room 906 Roanoke, Virginia 24011 (540) 857-2974 FAX (540) 857-2179 |
August 28, 2008
PAIR CHARGED WITH CONSPIRING TO GROW MORE THAN 1,000 MARIJUANA PLANTS
Acting United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley announced today the unsealing of an indictment charging Michael Jay Shifflett, age 46, of Glasgow, Virginia and Jackson David Shifflett Jr., age 51, of Natural Bridge Station, Virginia, with multiple counts related to the cultivation of more than 1,000 marijuana plants.
On August 21, 2008, a Federal Grand Jury sitting in Harrisonburg, Virginia returned a two-count indictment charging both Michael and Jackson Shifflett, Jr. with one count of conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with the intent to distribute over 1,000 plants of marijuana and one count of manufacturing, distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute over 1,000 plants of marijuana. These charges arose out of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police and the United States Forest Service.
“Stopping the spread of these illegal drugs at their source, before they can be harvested and sold, is a major victory for the law enforcement community in the on going war on drugs,” Acting United States Attorney Julia C. Dudley said today. “Every agency involved in this investigation worked hard to gather the evidence needed to charge these two individuals.”
Both Michael and Jackson Shifflett, Jr. were arrested on August 26, 2008 without incident and search warrants were executed at each of their residences. In addition, law enforcement officials responded to eleven separate growing plots in the George Washington National Forest where the two men were cultivating marijuana plants, removed, and then destroyed the illegal substances. Twenty-two firearms were also seized during the operation.
If convicted on all counts, the maximum penalty faced by the defendants is life imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $4,000,000.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Virginia State Police, the United States Forest Service, the Buena Vista Police Department, Virginia ABC, and the Rockbridge Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber is prosecuting the case for the United States.
A Grand Jury indictment is only a charge and not evidence of guilt. The defendants are entitled to a fair trial with the burden on the government to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.