Eleven Georgia men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles as members of a drug trafficking organization in the metro-Atlanta area, according to the Northern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Citing information gathered by U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, charges, and other information presented in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reports that federal investigators identified the coordinator of the drug trafficking organization and, over the course of an investigation, identified many of the coordinator’s associates.
Federal investigators soon after “obtained evidence of ongoing trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.”
Through multiple executed search warrants, federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators seized distribution quantities of drugs, hundreds of thousands of dollars of drug proceeds, firearms, vehicles, and other property used in the commission, or purchased with the proceeds, of the offenses, the U.S. Attorney’s Office notes.
Each of the following defendants pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and/or firearms offenses and received the following sentences imposed by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross:
Abdul Jamal Ali, 41, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of nine years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Norian Anderson, a/k/a “Knot,” 50, of Jonesboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of four years, eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Kasman Cox, a/k/a “Cat” and “Tamario Davis,” 44, of Fayetteville, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and received a sentence of 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Mark Antonio Goines, a/k/a “Luckie,” 43, of Hampton, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of five years in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release;
Alonzo Heard, a/k/a “Pee-Wee,” 51, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of eight years, three months in prison, to be followed by eight years of supervised release;
Michael Mack, a/k/a “Stank,” 49, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of one year and one day in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release;
Tremaine Malcom, a/k/a “Twin,” 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of four years, 10 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Hassan Pope, a/k/a “Ali,” “Hot,” and “Tyrone Dunn,” 46, of College Park, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and received a sentence of 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Roger Solario, 29, of Marietta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of five years, three months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release;
Joseph Strickland, a/k/a “Joe,” 45, of Decatur, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of eight years, four months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release; and
Renardo Thomas, a/k/a “Donald Garwood,” 44, of Fairburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking conspiracy charge and received a sentence of six years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release.
“The distribution of narcotics throughout our communities continues to pose a public safety and health threat that we must steadfastly confront,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in a statement. “Through our partnership with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, we have successfully disrupted this organization’s supply chain, prosecuted the distributors and suppliers of these dangerous drugs, and sent a strong message to others involved in polluting our communities with these illegal substances.”
In 2020, 1,809 individuals in Georgia lost their lives to drug overdoses, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Prison” by Tim (Timothy) Pearce. CC BY 2.0