Two Marion County , Tenn., brothers were sentenced to federal prison on drug trafficking charges Thursday.
Charles and James Green were found guilty by a jury in December of crack cocaine sales, manufacturing and related weapons charges.
U.S. District Judge Curtis Collier sentenced Charles Green on five drug charges and one weapons charge for a total of 14 years.
James Green was sentenced on three drug-related charges for a total of four years.
Before sentencing. Charles Green told the court, "Thank you, judge, and thank you again to our family for standing behind us."
Charles Green's defense attorney, C. Parke Masterson, argued in Thursday's hearing that his client didn't deserve additional time for the weapons charge. He said the .38-caliber revolver was "hanging on the door of a closet in an adjoining bedroom in a zippered [camouflage] pouch."
Collier rebutted Masterson's argument.
Charles Green claimed the gun was used for hunting. He is a convicted felon who has faced weapons-related charges in the past, according to court records.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Winne said in court documents that Charles Green obtained cocaine from a Chattanooga dealer, took it to his home at 1210 S. Cedar Ave. in South Pittsburg, Tenn., and mixed it with other ingredients to make crack cocaine.
James Green would then bring drug buyers to the home's kitchen door to buy the drug from Charles, Winne said.
Marion County Sheriff's Office Detective Chad Johnson made undercover buys through confidential informants between early 2006 and late 2008, records showed.
Russell Leonard, James Green's defense attorney, told Collier that his client was a drug addict who "dealt in this conduct in order to obtain the drugs he needed to feed his habit."