Lead defendant sentenced in south Georgia drug trafficking operation

BRUNSWICK, GA:  The chief of a south Georgia drug trafficking operation has been sentenced to federal jail, whereas the ultimate defendant within the investigation awaits sentencing in any case entered responsible pleas in U.S. District Court docket.

Nickson Joseph, a/okay/a “Cujo,” 57, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 110 months in jail after pleading responsible to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Heroin and Alprazolam, stated David H. Estes, U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court docket Decide Lisa Godbey Wooden additionally fined Joseph $1,500 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised launch after completion of his jail time period. There is no such thing as a parole within the federal system.

“The investigation and prosecution in Operation Leap’s Begin is an impressive instance of the profitable partnership between native, state, and federal companies in coordinating the combat in opposition to drug trafficking organizations,” stated U.S. Legal professional Estes. “We’re dedicated to collaborating with our legislation enforcement companions to make our streets safer by figuring out and prosecuting felony conspiracies.”

Operation Leap’s Begin, an investigation below the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Job Forces (OCDETF), took goal on the distribution of heroin, fentanyl, cocaine and different medicine in south Georgia. It started in 2019 when a supply for the Glynn County Sheriff’s Workplace recognized unlawful drug distributors within the Glynn, Camden, and McIntosh County space.

With help from different legislation enforcement companies, together with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Glynn County Sheriff’s Workplace investigators performed managed purchases of medicine, searched houses and automobiles, and charged seven defendants, figuring out Joseph as the principle distributor. 4 others named within the conspiracy have been sentenced after pleading responsible. The remaining defendant, Kirk Westberry, 30, of Brunswick, is scheduled for sentencing in Could after pleading responsible to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.

“We sit up for a continued working relationship between the Glynn County Sheriff’s Workplace and different companies,” stated Neal Leap, Sheriff of Glynn County. “Our dedication is to take the medicine off the road and lock up those doing hurt to our residents.” 

“Operation Leap’s Begin was an amazing success because it nabbed the ringleader of a once-thriving drug trafficking group and several other of his associates,” stated Robert J. Murphy, the Particular Agent in Cost of the Atlanta Discipline Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. “This felony group has reached its closing chapter, and its members will now spend well-deserved time in jail.”

“Unlawful medicine don’t have any place in Georgia,” stated Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “They’re harmful and threaten the protection of our communities. We are going to proceed to work diligently together with our native and federal companions to research and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.”

Operation Leap’s Begin was investigated below the umbrella of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Job Forces, which identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level felony organizations that threaten america utilizing a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency method. The case was investigated by the Glynn County Sheriff’s Workplace, the DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the GBI, the Georgia State Patrol, the Glynn County Police Division, the Brunswick Police Division, and the Darien Police Division, and prosecuted for america by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah J. Abrams and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.