Methamphetamine Manufacturers Sentenced to Nearly Two Decades in Prison
Shawn A. Johnson, Special Agent in Charge of DEA’s Washington Division, announced today that Steven Craig Frost, age 35, Toni Lea Frost, age 31, and Gary Michael Shuttleworth, age 36, all of Washington County, Virginia, were sentenced to nearly two decades in prison for their role in manufacturing methamphetamine.
Each had previously pled guilty in United States District Court in Abingdon, Virginia to gun and drug charges stemming from a methamphetamine operation at the Frost home.
United States Judge James P. Jones sentenced Steven Frost to a term of 22 and a half years in prison on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
Toni Lea Frost was sentenced to a term of 19 years and 7 months in prison on charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, maintaining a place to manufacture methamphetamine, endangering human life while manufacturing methamphetamine, and possessing a firearm while being an unlawful user of a controlled substance.
Gary Michael Shuttleworth was sentenced to a term of 19 years in prison for charges of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.
A fourth co-defendant, Brian David Slagle, age 34, pled guilty on October 31, 2005 to a charge of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime for his role in the offense. He faces a minimum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, plus a fine of up to $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 19, 2006.
The investigation was conducted by the DEA Bristol Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Bristol Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Virginia State Police.
