Show-Me State Times

A Poplar Bluff man, Joshua E. Forbes, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for his involvement in selling methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Stephen N. Limbaugh Jr. handed down the sentence, which included 10 years for selling methamphetamine and an additional two years for violating supervised release related to a previous heroin distribution case.

According to reports, Forbes, 31, was caught selling methamphetamine to a member of the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force and coordinating other individuals to sell the drug on multiple occasions between June and August of 2023. The conspirators sold a total of about 450 grams of meth and 14 grams of cocaine for $3,810.

Forbes was already on supervised release at the time of these drug sales, stemming from a conviction of three counts of heroin distribution in 2021. In January, he pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Cape Girardeau to charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Poplar Bluff Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Hunter prosecuting the case.

Forbes' sentencing serves as a reminder of the serious consequences individuals face when involved in illegal drug trafficking activities.