MENOMINEE — A Manistique man was sentenced to 22 to 45 years in prison related to trafficking and dealing methamphetamine in Menominee County’s Cedarville Township.

According to a press release issued by the Menominee County Prosecutor’s Office, Johnny Lee Tucker, 30, was found guilty by jury of Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Deliver and Possession of Methamphetamine, following a two-day trail in April. The prison sentence was handed down on May 10 by 41st Circuit Court Judge Christopher S. Ninomiya.

According to information presented at the trial, Tucker was the subject of a traffic stop on June 29, 2023 on M-35 near the Cedar River Plaza. Menominee County Sheriff’s Office deputies used K-9 officer Kado during the stop, and the dog alerted to narcotics inside Tucker’s vehicle.

A female passenger pulled a small amount of methamphetamine from her brassiere during the stop, and a search of the vehicle by detectives with the Upper Peninsula Substance Enforcement Team (UPSET) revealed a digital scale, an additional bag containing methamphetamine, and several empty baggies, consistent with drug distribution.

A later search of the female passenger at the Menominee County Jail revealed an additional 19 grams of methamphetamine on her person. The passenger testified against Tucker at his trial in exchange for a reduced charge.

Tucker admitted to trafficking large amounts of methamphetamine from Wisconsin and to buying a haf-pound of meth “a couple days prior” to the traffic stop.

“Methamphetamine trafficking funnels poison into our communities,” said Menominee County Prosecutor Jeffery Rogg. “This investigation and subsequent conviction of this criminal drug dealer demonstrates my commitment to fight the drug cartels who have no regard for the citizens of our community.”

Rogg commended the efforts of the Menominee County Sheriff’s Office and UPSET, and expressed his appreciation to Ninomiya for the sentence handed down.

“This defendant’s conviction and sentence sends a strong warning to others that those who peddle dangerous drugs in Menominee County, that they will he held accountable for their conduct,” said Rogg.