Triangle man setenced for drug traficking

By Amanda Stewart

Published: May 23, 2008

A Triangle man was sentenced in federal court Friday to 17 years and 7 months in prison for drug trafficking.

Johnny Patrick Meinen, 23, of Triangle, is the 75th defendant to be sentenced in the second phase of "Operation Highway Men," an investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that focuses on gun and drug trafficking in eastern Prince William County, according to a news release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Meinen pleaded guilty in March to conspiring to distribute 50 grams or more of crack cocaine between summer 2005 and February 2008 and operating a drug house, according to the news release.

During January and February 2008, undercover ATF agents bought drugs 25 times from Meinen and his co-defendants, according to court documents. Nine of the drug deals were conducted with Meinen alone, the documents state.

Meinen often manufactured and sold crack cocaine at a house on Forestdale Drive in Dale City, according to court documents.

Other drug deals occurred at restaurants and parking lots in Dale City, including McDonald's, Long John Silvers, Burger King restaurants in Dale City and a parking lot at Potomac Mills mall, according to a statement of facts on file at U.S. District Court in Alexandria.

Meinen was arrested on Feb. 15 at a Burger King in Potomac Mills mall, where he agreed to sell 14 grams of crack cocaine to someone working for law enforcement officials, according to the court document.

When he was arrested, Meinen had with him 3.8 grams of crack cocaine, a loaded pistol, ammunition and several marked and unmarked prescription bottles containing drug tablets, according to the court documents.

ATF agents conducted a search of Meinen's home on Anchorage Cove in Triangle and seized drug parapher-nalia and $5,000 in illegal drug profits, the documents state.

Meinen's four co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on federal drug trafficking charges in June, ac-cording to the news release.

According to federal officials, "Operation Highway Men" has resulted federal and state drug and fire-arm trafficking charges against 117 defendants since 2005.

Eighty-four of the defendants have been convicted in the U.S. District Court in Alexandria, federal officials said.

The investigation is being conducted by the ATF, Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park police, Virginia State police and the United States Marshals Service.

Staff writer Amanda Stewart can be reached at 703-878-8014.