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...

TAMPA, Fla. - A 37-count indictment was unsealed today charging five individuals with money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison per count. The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States is seeking a...

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...

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Rhiannon Rader (34, St. Marys, Georgia) was sentenced to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, hydrocodone, and alprazolam (Xanax). Rader had pleaded guilty on October 29, 2019. According to court documents, as an employee of a Jacksonville Beach physician’s office, Rader had access...

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...

TAMPA, Fla. - Angelo Salvarezza (38, Port Richey) was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for possessing with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of that drug trafficking crime. Salvarezza had pled guilty on February 12, 2020. According 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...

TAMPA, Fla. – A federal grand jury returned six indictments and one arrest pursuant to a criminal complaint charging 13 individuals for their roles in six fatal opioid overdoses. The indictments also notify the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit any assets that are alleged to be traceable...

SAVANNAH, Ga - Five Savannah-area residents are charged in a seven-count federal indictment handed down by a U.S. District Court grand jury meeting in virtual session in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic. The four men and one woman named in the indictment face charges with possible penalties of up to...