Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Memphis, TN – Mario Silas, 38, has been sentenced to 180 months imprisonment for being a convicted felon illegally in possession of firearms and drugs. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on April 23, 2017, Mario Silas was in a vehicle stopped by MPD officers. Officers searched the vehicle and located a stolen Springfield Armory .45 caliber pistol in the glove compartment, which Silas admitted to possessing. Law enforcement also found a brown purse in the car that contained 0.7 grams of cocaine, 1.2 grams of heroin, 4.8 grams of marijuana, and a Ruger .357 caliber revolver. Officers also found a Spikes Tactical multi-caliber pistol on the floorboard of the car.

At the time of this event, Silas was a convicted felon and legally prohibited from possessing firearms.

In September 2017, Mario Silas recruited an individual named Jared Weatherly to sell ecstasy pills for him. Weatherly found a buyer, who was actually an undercover MPD detective. On several phone calls with Weatherly, the detective could hear Mario Silas talking in the background. The detective set up a meeting for a controlled buy on September 4, 2017. Weatherly arrived in a Subaru. Silas was in the front passenger seat and an individual named Tiffany Tekle was in the back seat. Weatherly pulled out the clear plastic bag from his right shorts pocket containing ecstasy pills. The detective took possession of the bag and gave the takedown signal, at which point Silas threw a Ruger .38 caliber revolver into the backseat. Silas, Weatherly, and Tekle were taken into custody. As the officers approached the Subaru, officers saw Tekle reach behind her back to conceal the firearm. Officers recovered a Ruger .38 caliber revolver from her seat and a Clerke .32 caliber revolver in the backpack in the back of the Subaru. Silas had $595 cash on his person. The ecstasy weighed 20.636 grams. Officers also recovered 0.9 grams

of marijuana from the Subaru. Silas and Tekle were both convicted felons at the time of this incident.

U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Convicted felons who possess firearms are an inherent danger to the community, and in this case, Silas was a career drug offender who continued to possess firearms and sell illegal narcotics despite his prior felony conviction history. There is and ought to be a significant consequence for such recidivist criminal behavior, and this is one more armed drug dealer removed from our streets. Gun Crime is Max Time."

On November 29, 2018, U.S. District Court Judge John T. Fowlkes Jr., sentenced Silas to 180 months imprisonment and 3 years supervised release. Weatherly and Tekle have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives;MPD OCU; and MPD Multi-Agency Gang Unit.

Assistant U.S. Attorney J. William Crow prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

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