INDIANA (WLKI)- An Indiana man has been sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for attempting to receive a large shipment of methamphetamine through the mail.
According to WANE 15, 44-year-old Douglas Hillsamer was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty to attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
Hillsamer will serve 11 years in prison followed by five years of probation.
Federal prosecutors say Hillsamer expected to receive nearly three pounds of methamphetamine in a package mailed from Fresno, California. The shipment was intercepted by the United States Postal Inspection Service before it reached him.
The methamphetamine was determined to be nearly 100% pure.
U.S. Attorney Adam Mildred said Hillsamer admitted to investigators that the drugs were intended for him and that he planned to distribute them in local communities.
Mildred also noted that Hillsamer had previous felony convictions for methamphetamine possession and invasion of privacy.
The investigation involved the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and Indiana State Police.
Felicia George, inspector in charge of the Postal Inspection Service's Detroit Division, said the case demonstrates the importance of cooperation between law enforcement agencies in stopping drug trafficking operations that use the mail.
Authorities emphasized that the Postal Service is intended to provide a trusted delivery system and not serve as a means of transporting illegal narcotics.