Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 151 Months (DOJ)

ABINGDON, Va. - A Big Stone Gap, Virginia man, who conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, was sentenced last week to 151 months in federal prison.

James Eugene Gamble, 50, previously pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.

According to court documents, Gamble conspired with Eric Coffey, Daniel Hafemeister, Thomas Ray Houston, Jr., and others to distribute large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in Southwest Virginia.

Gamble served as a major supplier of methamphetamine in the Lee and Wise County, Virginia areas, selling over ten kilograms of methamphetamine between approximately October 2023 and March 2024.

Gamble routinely made trips to North Carolina with co-conspirators to obtain several pounds of methamphetamine and up to a pound of fentanyl at a time from a drug supplier. On several of the trips, co-conspirator Thomas Houston, Jr. drove Gamble to North Carolina to conduct the drug transactions, and Gamble paid Houston $2,000 each trip to drive him. Gamble redistributed the drugs he purchased in North Carolina to individuals in southwest Virginia.

Co-conspirator Thomas Houston, Jr. was sentenced to 72 months of imprisonment in February 2025.

Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Lee and Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Washington Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the announcement.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Southwest Drug Task Force, Wise County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lena Busscher prosecuted the case for the United States.