A Columbia man will spend 15 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole after admitting to a major methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy.
Federal prosecutors say 35-year-old Ronald Dale Thornton III, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven R. Bough for conspiring to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine.
Investigators with the Columbia Police Department and the DEA served a search warrant at an Airbnb Thornton had rented in March 2024, where they found 50 pounds of methamphetamine packaged in 50 bundles, along with nearly $25,000 in cash.