United States Drug Enforcement Administration

PANAMA CITY, Fla. - Gerry F. Carter, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced yesterday to a total of 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges stemming from an organization that distributed methamphetamine in North Florida.

“Drug traffickers have one thing in common: They are more concerned with personal profit than the lives that they ruin. We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners in any way we can as we work together to investigate and prosecute these criminals bringing drugs into North Florida,” United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Lawrence Keefe said.

Carter was the Atlanta-based supplier of drugs distributed by a methamphetamine-trafficking organization operating in North Florida. Carter provided the organization with at least 120 kilograms of methamphetamine between August 2018 and February 2019. He also possessed several handguns, which he carried to protect his drug money. Carter was the subject of a DEA sting operation conducted on July 18, 2019, when Carter attempted to pick up $21,000 from a person in Tallahassee, Florida, to be used for the purchase of 3 kilograms of methamphetamine.  Unknown to Carter, the “purchaser” was an undercover agent.

“Due to the outstanding cooperation and coordination by our collective law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, this individual no longer poses a significant risk of distributing dangerous narcotics throughout Northern Florida communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis.

Carter pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense.  Carter qualified for sentencing as a career offender because of convictions for two prior drugtrafficking offenses. He will serve 25 years on the conspiracy charge, followed by 5 years on the firearm charge. The Court also ordered 10 years of supervised release following the completion of Carter’s prison term.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration Tallahassee Resident Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.