Jury convicts North Carolina man of methamphetamine trafficking

ATLANTA. – Rodney Dwayne Brendle has been convicted by a jury on two methamphetamine trafficking costs.  Simply after his preliminary trial date was set in 2021, Brendle eliminated his geolocation ankle monitor and have become a fugitive from justice.  He was later arrested in Oregon. 

“Brendle and his co-defendants traveled a number of hours from North Carolina to Lilburn, Georgia, to buy a considerable amount of methamphetamine,” stated U.S. Legal professional Ryan Okay. Buchanan.  “His conviction following a jury trial serves as a reminder to these residing inside and outdoors of our district that prosecutions of narcotics traffickers stay a precedence for this workplace and for our federal, state, and native regulation enforcement companions.”

“The cocktail of lethal chemical substances used to fabricate methamphetamine is a recipe for catastrophe,” stated Robert J. Murphy Particular Agent in Cost of the DEA Atlanta Area Division. “‘Meth’ not solely is unstable and poisonous, but it surely destroys households, communities, and lives. Due to the collective effort between DEA and its regulation enforcement counterparts, the prosecution of this case and the following responsible verdict have been made potential.”

In keeping with U.S. Legal professional Buchanan, the costs and different info offered at trial:  On June 14, 2019, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) brokers and different regulation enforcement officers carried out surveillance of an condo complicated related to Alexis Figueroa, a narcotics trafficker in Doraville, Georgia. The investigators noticed Figueroa full a number of narcotics transactions that day. 

The investigators continued to surveil Figueroa as he drove from the condo complicated to a retailer in Lilburn. The investigators watched as Figueroa arrived within the retailer’s car parking zone and picked up Rodney Dwayne Brendle’s co-defendant, James Cantley.  Cantley entered Figueroa’s automobile and obtained roughly two kilograms of methamphetamine from Figueroa for $10,000.  Brendle and a second co-defendant, Adam Henderson, watched from the entrance of the shop because the transaction occurred.  The proof offered at trial revealed that Brendle, Cantley, and Henderson drove from North Carolina to Georgia to buy the medicine. Georgia State Patrol officers, working at the side of DEA, arrested Brendle, Cantley, and Henderson after the three males departed the car parking zone of the shop in Brendle’s automobile. 

Brendle was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 27, 2019, on one depend of conspiracy to own with intent to distribute a managed substance and one depend of possession of a managed substance with intent to distribute.  He was already on probation at the moment as results of a state courtroom felony responsible plea for possession of methamphetamine in North Carolina. 

As well as, whereas on pretrial supervision awaiting the beginning of his trial, Brendle eliminated a geolocation ankle monitor and have become a fugitive from justice.  He was later arrested in Oregon and returned to the Northern District of Georgia to face trial. Following a five-day trial, however after deliberating below solely two hours, a jury returned responsible verdicts on each counts of the indictment on October 12, 2022.  Brendle’s sentencing listening to is scheduled earlier than U.S. District Choose Amy Totenberg in January 2023.

The costs in opposition to the co-defendants have additionally been resolved as follows:  

• James Kristoffer Cantley, 40, of Newton, North Carolina, pleaded responsible to conspiracy to own with intent to distribute a managed substance, and was sentenced to 10 years, one month in jail to be adopted by 5 years of supervised launch;

• Adam Shane Henderson, 47, of Hickory, North Carolina, pleaded responsible to conspiracy to own with intent to distribute a managed substance, and is awaiting sentencing; and 

• Alexis Figueroa-Lozano, 23, of Doraville, Georgia, pleaded responsible to trafficking in unlawful medicine, and was sentenced to fifteen years of confinement in Georgia state courtroom. 

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration with help from the Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Miguel R. Acosta and Sandy Strippoli are prosecuting the case.

For additional info please contact the U.S. Legal professional’s Public Affairs Workplace at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Web deal with for the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.