ABINGDON, Va. – A former resident of Lebanon, Virginia was sentenced recently to 27 months on federal methamphetamine and firearm charges in U.S. District Court in Abingdon.
Brett Lamar Howard, 35, of West Palm Beach, Fla., pled guilty in September 2025 to one count of possessing with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possessing a firearm by a prohibited person.
According to court documents, on January 22, 2025, Virginia State Police encountered Howard in Dickenson County, Virginia, which later turned into a traffic stop. A K-9 officer performed a free air sniff of Howard’s vehicle, which led to a search of the vehicle and discovery of a loaded Taurus .357 revolver with an obliterated serial number, 30 rounds of ammunition, approximately 29 grams of methamphetamine, a digital scale, and 94 small individual plastic bags. Howard admitted the items in the vehicle belonged to him.
In addition to prison time, Howard was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and forfeit a Taurus .357 Magnum revolver and assorted ammunition in connection with his convictions.
Acting United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci 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 case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, with assistance from the Virginia State Police and Dickenson County Sheriff’s Office.
Special Assistant United States Attorney M. Suzanne Kerney-Quillen, a Senior Assistant Attorney General and Deputy Section Chief with the Virginia Attorney General’s Major Crimes and Emerging Threats Section, prosecuted the case for the United States.
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Western District of Virginia — U.S. Department of Justice press release.