Kingsport Man Sentenced to Life In Prison For Role In Fentanyl Overdose Death

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - On April 29, 2024, Terrance Lamont Hines, 42, of Kingsport, Tennessee, was sentenced to life in prison by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Greer determined that Hines was both an armed career criminal under the applicable federal statutory law and a career offender under the federal sentencing guidelines. Following his incarceration, Hines will be on supervised release for five years.

Following a five-day trial, on June 26, 2023, a federal jury in Greeneville found Hines guilty of conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl with a resulting death in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 846, 841(a)(1), and 841(b)(1)(A), multiple counts of distributing fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C), possessing with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B), possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c), and possessing firearms by a convicted felon in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

According to the evidence presented at trial, on December 3, 2020, the victim, a 52-year-old Kingsport woman, died in her home in Sullivan County. The victim's husband located her unresponsive body. A subsequent autopsy and toxicology tests revealed that the victim had overdosed on fentanyl. After a lengthy battle with chronic pain, the victim had begun self-medicating with controlled substances she purchased from others.

Following a lengthy investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), investigators were able to establish that Hines had supplied the fentanyl that resulted in the victim's death and had distributed the fentanyl through a series of lower-level dealers and users. Three codefendants, Shaina K. Langford, 34, of Jonesborough, Tennessee, Adam Presnell, 37, of Knoxville, Tennessee, and Robin Hutchins, 63, of Kingsport, Tennessee, were part of the chain of distribution. Hines sold the fentanyl to Hutchins, who sold it to Presnell, who sold it to Lanford, who supplied it directly to the victim. Hutchins, Presnell, and Lanford previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

After identifying Hines, investigators coordinated three controlled purchases of fentanyl from Hines. Investigators also obtained search warrants for Hines' business, OD Records, and his apartment, both located in Kingsport. When executing those search warrants on July 20, 2021, investigators located evidence that was introduced at trial, including a 9mm pistol, over 100 grams of fentanyl with a street value exceeding $116,000, $1,400 in cash, an assault rifle, and other drug paraphernalia.

The jury specifically found that Hines had conspired to supply the mixture of fentanyl that caused the victim's death.

Hines' codefendants have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. Lanford was sentenced on November 20, 2023, to 120 months in prison. Presnell was sentenced on January 3, 2024, to 84 months in prison. Hutchins entered a plea of guilty on June 12, 2023, and she is scheduled to be sentenced on August 19, 2024.

"Fentanyl is an exceedingly dangerous drug, and overdose deaths from fentanyl have become all too common across Tennessee and the nation," said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III. "The United States Attorney's Office and our law enforcement partners will continue to use every available resource to prosecute those who traffic fentanyl to provide justice to the victims and to deter others who might be considering trafficking in fentanyl."

The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Kingsport Police Department. This investigation was led by TBI Special Agent Scott Lott.

Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Swecker and Mac Heavener represented the United States.

This case was brought as 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 communication, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring results.

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