KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Authorities said a known gang member was sentenced to life in prison Wednesday for leading a drug trafficking operation in East Tennessee while he was serving time for a separate murder charge.
The District Attorney's office said Ronald Turner, 25, used contraband cell phones in prison to organize shipments of methamphetamine that weighed several pounds. They said he was serving time in the Tennessee Department of Corrections for attempted second-degree murder at the time.
The shipments were sent to other members of a street gang known as the Unknown Ghost Vice Lords in East Tennessee, according to authorities.
The sentencing followed a federal trial in July 2021 where Turner was convicted along with six other gang members of conspiring to distribute various kinds of drugs. He was also convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to a release from officials.
Authorities said Turner, from prison, directed other gang members to recruit minors to help distribute the drugs.
Six other gang members were convicted in the case, according to authorities. They said the remaining defendants will be sentenced in a few months.