Jackson man convicted of intending to distribute over 6,000 prescription pills

JACKSON, Tenn. — A man has been convicted of possessing with intent to distribute over 6,000 prescription pills.

George Ward, 49, of Jackson was convicted on seven counts Wednesday by a federal grand jury, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The charges stem from a 2013 search at a Jackson home where officers found around 6,600 pills in the room where Ward was staying, according to the release.

Police say the pills were in zip bags and wholesale pharmacy bottles and included 2,317 morphine pills, 2,247 amphetamine pills, 684 zolpidem pills, 482 hydrocodone pills, 456 methadone pills, 260 alprazolam pills and 89 hydromorphone pills.

Ward was on parole for a state conviction of possession of cocaine with intent to sell at the time of the search, the release states.

Officers also seized drug ledgers referencing certain strengths of the narcotics, pills with certain markings, as well as the number of pills and prices, according to the release.

Five of the counts carry individual penalties of up to 30 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2 million, according to the release. Two of the counts carry individual penalties of up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $500,000.