MONTICELLO – A 39-year-old Syracuse man was sentenced in Sullivan County Court on Tuesday to 15 years in state prison with five years of post-release supervision for trafficking guns and narcotics in the county.
Jamell Russ, who has three previous felony convictions, was arrested following a traffic stop on Route 17 in the Town of Liberty on June 14, 2929.
When Russ was stopped for speeding, he had a seven-year-old child in his vehicle.
Police also discovered Russ was illegally in possession of two loaded and operable handguns as well as heroin packaged for sale, scales used for packaging of controlled substances and invalid dealer places.
DNA evidence forensically linked Ross to the handling of the guns.
Following COVID-related delays, Russ was convicted following a trial on March 1 of two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, criminal possession of a controlled substance, endangering the welfare of a child and traffic violations.
Judge James Farrell sentenced him to 15 years in prison on each of the two gun charges as well as 12 years in prison on the drug conviction, all terms to run concurrently.
