GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Kalamazoo man has been sentenced to 188 months in prison for running a methamphetamine distribution operation.
According to the Department of Justice, Semaj Williams spent years conspiring with others to sell methamphetamine in Kalamazoo and throughout West Michigan. In 2020, he supplied two dealers with ounces of methamphetamine on a daily basis for a period of over four months. In March 2021, Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety officers stopped Williams. Methamphetamine was then discovered hidden at his feet, as well as in the backseat of a car.
During Williams’ sentencing, U.S. District Judge Paul L. Maloney noted that methamphetamine is a “scourge in the Western District of Michigan.” The 188-month sentence was imposed to deter Williams from committing future drug-trafficking crimes. Judge Maloney also hoped the sentence would deter other would-be drug traffickers from dealing a deadly drug. He also sentenced Williams to a five-year term of supervised release after he is released from prison.
“Drug dealers are inherently dangerous and threaten the safety of our community,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Craig Kailimai of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. “William’s sentencing and guilty plea send the message that violators will be held responsible for their actions. This case is an outstanding example of how working with our Federal, State, tribal, and local partners protect our communities.”
“Methamphetamine is a highly addictive and dangerous drug that is plaguing our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “Those, like Williams, who work with others to peddle this poison must be stopped.”
