AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Six local residents are headed to federal prison after authorities busted a wide-ranging meth pipeline from Atlanta that was headed by a man who used his mom as a drug courier, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Lead defendant James Andrew McPherson, 30, of Hephzibah, was sentenced to 188 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

His operation transported large quantities of highly pure methamphetamine for distribution in Richmond, Columbia and Burke counties, according to prosecutors.

McPherson or his couriers – including his mother – brought in the meth from Atlanta, then he split it into smaller quantities for the others to sell, according to prosecutors.

McPherson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.

Authorities have been saying for years that Augusta is susceptible to rings like this, being situated along Interstate 20 with easy access to Atlanta. The Atlanta area itself is a major funnel for the pipeline, as shown by the discovery last month of a ton of meth hidden in a celery truck at a farmers market.

Other defendants sentenced in McPherson’s case include:

• Brandon Wayne Johnson, 43, of Hephzibah, sentenced to 87 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Marcus “Smoke” Smith, 32, of Augusta, sentenced to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine.
• Leslie Helinski, 54, of Augusta, the mother of James McPherson, sentenced to 130 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Tony Watson, 49, of Conover, N.C., sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Charity Porter, 25, of Augusta, sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to distribution of methamphetamine.

“We applaud the work of our law enforcement partners in identifying and disrupting this meth-trafficking conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg. “Our communities are safer with these illegal drug distributors off the streets.”

Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, agreed.

“Driven by greed, these drug traffickers’ activities posed a significant threat to the Augusta area and beyond,” he said.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with assistance from the Georgia State Patrol, Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, Burke County Sheriff’s Office and McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office.

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