ALBANY, Ga. – A documented member of a felony road gang group who led a drug distribution community accountable for trafficking greater than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and different unlawful medicine into Southwest Georgia was sentenced to federal jail right now for his crimes.
Jamie Lorell Keith aka JGottiDaBoss aka Cocho, 41, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 420 months in jail to be adopted by 5 years of supervised launch after he was convicted on June 27 of conspiracy to own with intent to distribute managed substances and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine following a week-long jury trial earlier than U.S. District Choose Leslie Abrams Gardner. There isn’t any parole within the federal system.
A co-defendant, Artarious Davis aka Showboat aka Boat, 41, of Albany, was convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl throughout the identical trial and faces a most of life imprisonment. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 15.
“This case is a big victory for the general security of our area,” stated U.S. Lawyer Peter D. Leary. “Due to the efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Activity Power and our federal prosecution crew, a harmful felony community pushing massive volumes of the deadliest managed substances into Southwest Georgia has been stopped.”
“These criminals as soon as profited by spreading this insidious poison all through a lot of communities in Southwest Georgia, however the DEA and our legislation enforcement companions are within the enterprise of defending lives and serving these communities,” stated Robert J. Murphy, the Particular Agent in Cost of the DEA Atlanta Subject Division. “Justice was served because of robust and strategic partnerships between the DEA and its native legislation enforcement counterparts.”
“This case demonstrates the dedication of legislation enforcement businesses at each degree to finish an epidemic in our society that’s killing our residents,” stated Keri Farley, Particular Agent in Cost of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will proceed to work diligently alongside our companions within the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Activity Power to research and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.”
“These convictions illustrate that drug trafficking won’t be tolerated in Georgia. The GBI is dedicated to investigating and dismantling massive scale drug trafficking organizations comparable to this one working in Southwest Georgia, in coordination with our native and federal companions,” stated GBI Director Michael Register.
“The Albany Police Division will proceed working with our native, state and federal legislation enforcement companions to fight drug trafficking and its related crimes in Albany, Dougherty County and Southwest Georgia. This sentencing warns these looking for fortune from this illicit commerce that ill-gotten features result in harsh penalties,” stated Albany Police Division Chief Michael Persley.
“The Lee County Sheriff’s Workplace is working with all of our legislation enforcement companions at each degree to fight felony exercise in our group and in the end put a dent in crime,” stated Lee County Sheriff Reggie Rachals.
“The Price County Sheriff’s Workplace has and can proceed to work diligently with native, state and federal legislation enforcement and group companions throughout the realm to search out, examine and prosecute criminals trafficking medicine in Price County and the Southwest Georgia space,” stated Price County Sheriff Don Whitaker. “Medication are a multibillion-dollar felony enterprise that targets our susceptible populations, our neighbors and even our relations. Due to this, we are able to’t decelerate, we should aggressively pursue this felony component. We now have discovered that by taking down these drug distributors, it additionally helps within the discount of different crimes. With this in thoughts, we welcome a partnership with all businesses to battle this downside and make our communities safer.”
In accordance with court docket paperwork and proof introduced at trial, Keith and Davis have been criminally concerned in a big drug trafficking community accountable for distributing greater than 150 kilograms of methamphetamine, greater than 2000 fentanyl tablets pressed to resemble Percocet, multiple kilogram of heroin, greater than 5 kilograms of cocaine and different medicine within the metro Albany space in 2019. Trial testimony revealed that now-deceased co-defendant Demarcus Cook dinner, of Sylvester, Georgia, was a documented member of the Piru set of the Bloods felony road gang group. Keith, a member of a rival group and the chief of this drug trafficking group, bonded Cook dinner—who was unwell—out of jail in trade for entry to Cook dinner’s drug sources of provide and prospects. Utilizing Cook dinner’s sources and Keith’s money and distribution community, the 2 started delivering massive portions of medication to Albany and Sylvester to be bought at places together with 122 Moultrie Street and 610 Johnson Street in Albany and 214 Albany Avenue in Sylvester. Cook dinner has since died of most cancers. Keith was the supervisor of the drug community. Davis protected the drug masses on behalf of the group and served a subsidiary buyer base of drug customers and redistributors within the Albany space.
The opposite 29 defendants federally prosecuted as a part of this investigation have pleaded responsible for his or her crimes.
This effort is a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Activity Power (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level felony organizations that threaten the US utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven multi-agency strategy. Extra details about the OCDETF Program will be discovered at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. The case was investigated by FBI, DEA, GBI, the Albany Police Division, Lee County Sheriff’s Workplace and Price County Sheriff’s Workplace. Assistant U.S. Lawyer Leah McEwen prosecuted the case.
