19 people sentenced after SWGA meth ring dismantled

ALBANY, GA (WALB) - An Albany judge has sentenced 19 people after several law enforcement agencies worked to uncover a major methamphetamine drug ring in Southwest Georgia.

According to a press release from the Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia G. F. Peterman, III, several inmates worked together with others who were not in custody to organize the meth ring. The inmates used cell phones that were smuggled into the Georgia Department of Corrections, according to the report.

The release also states that some of the conspirators involved met with distributors in Atlanta to purchase the drugs in bulk and transported the narcotics to the Tifton area.

According to the report, some of the drugs were shipped through the United States Mail to Enigma where Loretta Hillman Hunt, who was the Relief Post Master, would divert the packages and give them to other conspirators.

The drugs in Tifton were warehoused and distributed by several people involved in the drug ring. Customers from the Ware, Coffee and Brantley County areas would be routed to other co-conspirators in Tifton.

Some customers would then regularly purchase multi-ounce quantities to resell in Georgia and West Virginia.

Agents involved in the investigation used wiretaps to monitor communications and made controlled purchases of controlled substances. Using information from the wiretaps, officials initiated traffic stops, they also executed search warrants at the Tifton area storage locations.

The report says agents seized multiple kilograms of high purity methamphetamine, hundreds of grams of heroin and marijuana, small amounts of cocaine and prescription pills such as Oxycodone and Xanax, and $30,000.

Below is a copy of the report from the office of the Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia:

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