Quincy man receives five years in prison for possession of meth with intent to distribute

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Henry Speirs II, 35, of the 700 block of Harrison in Quincy, recently was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough to 60 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).  

After he completes his prison sentence, he will serve four years of supervised release.

Speirs was indicted in November 2020 and pleaded guilty in July of 2023. He has been detained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since his arrest in 2020. Two co-defendants were previously sentenced. Brent Garner received a 10-year sentence, and Brandy Friday received a five-year sentence. In total, Speirs was held accountable for 1,191.19 grams of methamphetamine.

The statutory penalties for possession with intent to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) are not less than five years and up to 40 years in prison, not more than a $5 million fine and not less than four years of supervised release.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation Springfield Field Office, Illinois State Police West Central Illinois Task Force, and Quincy Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.

The case against Speirs was part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make neighborhoods safer.