Knoxville Man Sentenced to Over 20 Years for Second Federal Drug Conviction
GREENEVILLE Tenn. – On October 7, 2026, Dwayne “DJ” Turner, 38, of Knoxville, was sentenced to 250 months by the Honorable Clifton L. Corker, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. Following his release, Turner will be on supervised release for eight years.
As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Turner agreed to plead guilty to a Conspiracy to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and (b)(1)(B), with an enhanced penalty for a prior conviction of a serious drug felony under 21 U.S.C. § 851. Based upon his prior convictions, Turner was determined to be a career offender.
According to filed court documents, in December of 2024, law enforcement became aware that Turner and his co-defendant, Mark Horton, were distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other substances in Knoxville, Johnson City, and other areas within Northeast Tennessee. Turner had been issued a no trespass notice from Johnson City Housing Authority (JCHA) property in 2009 due to narcotics activity. On June 25, 2025, Turner was located on JCHA property and, when law enforcement approached Turner, he fled on foot and discarded his backpack. Officers recovered the abandoned backpack, which contained methamphetamine, fentanyl, and other drug paraphernalia. Turner also possessed a significant amount of U.S. currency when he was subsequently arrested.
Judge Corker previously sentenced co-defendant Horton, 63, of Johnson City, to a term of 140 months for his involvement in the drug conspiracy.
U. S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III, of the Eastern District of Tennessee; Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Louisville Field Office.
The case was investigation by the Johnson City Police Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the FBI and the DEA.
Assistant United States Attorney AnCharlene Davis represented the United States.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
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