Springfield drug trafficker to serve prison sentence

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - A Springfield drug trafficker will spend nine years in prison for his crimes.

Robert E. Collins, 35, was sentenced Tuesday for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams of more of mixtures or substances containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. He was found during a Decatur traffic stop on Aug. 3, 2017 with about 504 ecstasy pills containing meth. He also had about $8,500 on his person.

In relation to Collins fleeing a later traffic stop in Sangamon County, in which the U.S. Marshals Service tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant, a judge found a sentencing enhancement for obstructing justice applied. Prosecutors said he fled the traffic stop in a vehicle, dragging two U.S. marshals with him.

One of the marshals was on the running board for several hundred yards before Collins started to slow down, allowing the marshal to safely jump off, prosecutors said.

Collins was indicted in March of 2018 before pleading guilty in November of 2021.

He faced five to 40 years in prison as a statutory penalty for the possession with intent to distribute charge. The statutory punishment also carried no more than a $5 million fine and at least four years of parole.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Springfield Police Department and the Decatur Police Department. The government was represented in prosecution by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Z. Weir.