SAVANNAH — After a one-day trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court returned a guilty verdict Wednesday against Andre Jamaal Guyton of Ludowici on two counts of distributing controlled substances in Liberty County. The case was tried before District Judge William T. Moore Jr. at the U.S. Courthouse in Savannah.
The evidence at trial showed that Guyton distributed 26 grams of 3, 4 - methylenedioxymethamphetamine (commonly known as “MDMA” or “ecstasy”) on Sept. 16, 2009 and 27, grams of cocaine on Sept. 17, 2009, to an informant acting on behalf of investigating agencies.
The prosecution of Guyton resulted from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Multi-Agency Crack Enforcement Drug Task Force for Liberty and Long counties, under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force initiative, which targets the most significant drug trafficking organizations in the Southern District of Georgia.
Cases against several related defendants in the investigation had been resolved earlier in the United States District Court. Notable among these were James Gary Blagmon of Walthourville, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison on April 21 for possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute, and Paul Simmons of Hinesville, who was sentenced on April 8 to 60 months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “This investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program in encouraging cooperation between federal, state and local agencies. I am particularly pleased that the FBI and DEA were able to assist the hardworking investigators of the M.A.C.E. Drug Task Force in making successful cases against Mr. Guyton and his related defendants. Cooperation is an essential component of efforts by law enforcement in disrupting drug organizations that seek to operate in communities throughout the Southern District of Georgia.”
Tarver commended the agents and officers who worked on the case.
The case against Guyton was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karl Knoche.
The evidence at trial showed that Guyton distributed 26 grams of 3, 4 - methylenedioxymethamphetamine (commonly known as “MDMA” or “ecstasy”) on Sept. 16, 2009 and 27, grams of cocaine on Sept. 17, 2009, to an informant acting on behalf of investigating agencies.
The prosecution of Guyton resulted from a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Multi-Agency Crack Enforcement Drug Task Force for Liberty and Long counties, under the auspices of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force initiative, which targets the most significant drug trafficking organizations in the Southern District of Georgia.
Cases against several related defendants in the investigation had been resolved earlier in the United States District Court. Notable among these were James Gary Blagmon of Walthourville, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison on April 21 for possessing crack cocaine with intent to distribute, and Paul Simmons of Hinesville, who was sentenced on April 8 to 60 months in prison for possessing marijuana with intent to distribute.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “This investigation demonstrates the effectiveness of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force program in encouraging cooperation between federal, state and local agencies. I am particularly pleased that the FBI and DEA were able to assist the hardworking investigators of the M.A.C.E. Drug Task Force in making successful cases against Mr. Guyton and his related defendants. Cooperation is an essential component of efforts by law enforcement in disrupting drug organizations that seek to operate in communities throughout the Southern District of Georgia.”
Tarver commended the agents and officers who worked on the case.
The case against Guyton was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karl Knoche.