Knoxville Man Sentenced to 60 Months’ Imprisonment for Fentanyl Trafficking

MOBILE, AL - Tobias Billingsley of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on June 30, 2026, by United States District Judge William H. Steele to 60 months in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl.

According to court documents, on May 20, 2025, agents with the 17th Judicial Drug Task Force conducted a traffic stop on a rollback wrecker traveling north on Interstate 65 near mile marker 85 in Conecuh County after observing that the vehicle's license plate was not plainly visible. The wrecker was transporting a GMC Yukon. During the stop, investigators developed probable cause to search the Yukon and discovered approximately seven kilograms of fentanyl concealed inside the vehicle's battery compartment.

The investigation revealed that Billingsley had traveled to Houston, Texas, to retrieve the fentanyl at the direction of others. After obtaining the drugs, he arranged for the Yukon to be transported by rollback wrecker to Atlanta, Georgia, where he was instructed to deliver the fentanyl to another individual.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the 17th Judicial Task Force.

Assistant U.S. Attorney George F. May prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Homeland Security Task Forces (HSTF) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).