BENTON — A 45-year-old Williamson County man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court to nearly 20 years in prison on a methamphetamine offense.

According to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois Donald S. Boyce, Rex A. Hopper, was sentenced to 235 months’ in federal prison, fined $250, and placed on supervised release for four years.

A federal jury had convicted Hopper of conspiracy to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine between January 2015 and May 31, 2017, in Williamson and Franklin Counties.

The investigation was conducted by the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force, the Southern Illinois Enforcement Group, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office. The Williamson and Franklin County States Attorney’s Offices also assisted in the investigation.