MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jason Dale Cole, age 47, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, was sentenced in federal district court to 982 months in prison on ten counts relating to armed drug trafficking and maintaining a drug-involved premises.
The Court sentenced Cole on the following charges:262 months for two counts of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine;120 months for one count of Possession of a Machine Gun;180 months for two counts of Felon in Possession of a Firearm;60 months for one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana;120 months for one count of Possession of Unregistered Firearm;240 months for one count of Maintaining Drug Involved Premises;and 360 months for two counts of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, each running consecutive to the other counts for a total of 982 months.
The charges arose from an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Okmulgee County Sheriff’s Office.
On October 1, 2025, Cole was found guilty of the charges by a federal jury at trial.
According to investigators, on November 18, 2023, an OHP trooper on patrol in Muskogee County near Haskell, Oklahoma, flagged a red pickup truck for traveling 67 miles per hour in a 45 mile per hour zone. When the driver failed to stop for lights or sirens, the trooper gave pursuit. Cole, the sole occupant and driver, attempted to evade the trooper, driving down a gravel county road before crossing into Okmulgee County, where Cole’s vehicle finally came to a stop in a wooded area. Cole attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended and arrested by the trooper without further incident.
Inside on the front floorboard of the truck lay two loaded pistols—one with a machinegun conversion device—and extended magazines. Resting on the passenger seat was a bag containing over 50 grams of methamphetamine individually packaged for distribution.
During a search conducted later in the morning on Cole’s rural Okmulgee County residence, law enforcement officers seized over 500 grams of methamphetamine, a large quantity of marijuana, scales covered in a crystal residue that later tested positive for methamphetamine, approximately $12,000 in cash, and a money counting machine. Law enforcement officers also seized seven firearms and five unregistered silencers from the property.
At the time of arrest, Cole had prior felony convictions, including convictions for Distribution of Controlled Dangerous Substance in 1999, Felony Eluding an Officer in 2012, Driving a Motor Vehicle Under the Influence of Drugs in 2014, and Possession of Controlled Dangerous Substance in 2014, each punishable by more than a year in prison.
“The sentencing today sends a very loud message that trafficking illicit drugs using firearms, silencers, and a machine gun conversion device to facilitate that crime is a sure ticket to spending decades in federal prison,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “Cole, a repeat offender, posed a danger to the Eastern District, and through the collaborative work of state, county, and federal law enforcement he was arrested, prosecuted, and no longer jeopardizes the health and safety of our communities.”
“Armed drug traffickers should take note: State and Federal Law Enforcement in Oklahoma will not tolerate individuals putting poison into our communities, particularly those who commit these crimes while armed with machineguns,” said Brian Garner, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Dallas Field Division. “ATF and our law enforcement partners will use our resources to ensure that individuals like this serve lengthy prison sentences.”
“This case is a strong reminder that every traffic stop matters. Vigilance and attention to detail during a routine traffic stop can make a significant difference in keeping dangerous drugs and illegal firearms out of our communities. Our troopers remain committed to staying alert, doing their jobs professionally, and protecting the people of Oklahoma every day,” said Colonel Joe Williams, Chief of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. The Honorable Ronald A. White, Senior Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Cole will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarrod A. Leaman and Olivia Staubus represented the United States.