ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – A federal judge sentenced Chase Smothermon, 32, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to 45 years in prison for abducting and assaulting two men, one of whom was tortured, killed, and mutilated. Smothermon suspected the victims of stealing drugs and money from his home. On Jan. 24, Smothermon pleaded...

SAVANNAH, GA: A Florida man arrested after a high-speed chase in Liberty County has been indicted on a federal drug charge. Sherick Sharari Leshane Brinson , 26, of Eatonville, Fla., is charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern...

ALBANY, Ga. – A prolific small-town methamphetamine dealer involved in a larger wiretap investigation into methamphetamine trafficking in South Georgia has pleaded guilty for his crime, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Phil Grim, 43, of Cairo, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess...

ATHENS, Ga. – A defendant charged in an ongoing, large-scale drug trafficking investigation dubbed “Operation Wu Block,” has pleaded guilty for her crime, said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Latasha Bishop, 33, of Athens-Clarke County, pleaded guilty to one count distribution of methamphetamine before...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Fourteen members of a methamphetamine trafficking ring have been charged with federal drug conspiracy and related drug and firearms offenses, announced Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division and Andrew Murray, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina...

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - John Michael “Mike” Gowder, James Heaton, and George David Gowder have been sentenced to federal prison. Both Mike Gowder and Heaton were convicted on October 24, 2019, after a two-week jury trial on 102 counts related to illegally prescribing and obtaining more than 15,000 doses of prescription...

BRUNSWICK, Ga. - A pharmacist who owned and ran Fulghum Pharmacy in Baxley, Ga. was sentenced today to 48 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy that involved health care fraud and illegal distribution of opioids. Ray Ashley Dixon, R.Ph., 42, of Baxley, Georgia, was sentenced by...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Mariah Ferry, 22, of Albuquerque, New Mexico was sentenced today in federal court in Santa Fe, New Mexico to 30 years in prison on charges related to the kidnappings and brutal assaults of two victims suspected of stealing drugs and money from the home of co-defendant, Chase...

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Chatham County has been added to the Atlanta-Carolinas Region High Intensity Drug Trafficking area (HIDTA) in an effort to assist in the community’s fight against drug trafficking. The designation, by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), means Chatham County will gain access to...

SAVANNAH, Ga - Three Florida men have been charged in a conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine after authorities discovered and seized a shipment with nearly $2 million worth of cocaine. Juan De Jesus Gutierrez, 45, Jonathan Mejia, 41, and Ricardo Sanchez Ortiz, 46, all of Kissimmee, Fla., are charged...