Gregg County Man Sentenced to 40 Years for Drug Trafficking

TYLER � A 39-year-old Longview man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for drug trafficking. Spencer Garod Elam was convicted by a jury last October of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute hydrocodone, two counts of possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, felon in possession of a firearm, and use of a communications facility to facilitate a felony. Elam was sentenced yesterday in Tyler to a total of 480 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Leonard E. Davis.

According to information presented in court, Elam was arrested on May 16, 2011 following a lengthy investigation into a drug trafficking enterprise in Gregg County, Texas. A federal grand jury returned an indictment on May 11, 2011, charging 13 Longview residents, including Elam, with multiple drug and gun violations.