Thirty-two people have been sentenced to prison following a two-year methamphetamine trafficking investigation that concluded earlier this spring, and 19 more are awaiting their fate after pleading guilty, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Wu Block,” was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force and several law enforcement agencies across the state, officials said. The operation was part of a nationwide crackdown on eight major meth trafficking hubs across the U.S., including Atlanta.
Prosecutors announced the indictments of 68 people in late May, many of whom were accused of trafficking meth and heroin in and around metro Atlanta, AJC.com previously reported.
Since then, 14 more have been charged, bringing the number of suspects indicted in the case to 82, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Three people were sentenced to federal prison Tuesday morning after pleading guilty to one count of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.
April Wolford, 29, of Athens, was sentenced to seven years behind bars followed by another three years of supervised release, prosecutors said in a news release. In addition, Daniel Keith McCullough, 27, of Hart County, received a 57-month prison sentence and three years of supervised release, while 23-year-old Stone Mountain resident Austin Nathaniel Pineda was sentenced to 2 1/2 years behind bars and another four years of supervised release.
Because there is no parole in the federal prison system, all three must serve their entire sentences.
“These defendants' methamphetamine trafficking activities posed a significant threat to the quality of life in northeast Georgia,” DEA special agent Robert Murphy said in a statement. "All participating agencies played a crucial role in the eradication of this criminal network, and the dismantling of this once-thriving organization makes our community safer.”
As of Wednesday, the investigation has resulted in the seizure of more than 58 kilograms of methamphetamine, more than two kilograms of heroin, 31 guns and $56,000, authorities said.
Credit: Department of Justice
Credit: Department of Justice
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