A man with seven prior felony convictions was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 20 years on probation after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and other charges, according to the Cobb County District Attorney’s Office.
Taronta Sharond Clayton, also known as Toronto Clayton, entered the guilty plea to two counts of trafficking in illegal drugs and one count of the sale of cocaine on Thursday, prosecutors said Friday.
Clayton, 41, of Mableton, caught the attention of undercover GBI investigators in September, according to the DA’s office.
That is when prosecutors said he sold 4.5 grams of heroin to an undercover GBI agent at his Mableton Parkway apartment. In another transaction at the apartment a few weeks later, Clayton sold 7 grams of heroin and two grams of cocaine.
An average quantity of heroin a user takes is one-tenth of a gram, authorities said in a news release.
“The heroin this defendant sold to undercover law enforcement officers could have reached and destroyed more than 100 lives,” Assistant DA Shep Orlow said. “Hopefully, the strong sentence imposed by Judge (A. Gregory) Poole will serve as (a) deterrent to drug dealers who want to peddle their poison in Cobb County.”
Clayton has been in custody since October. In addition to his sentence, he was fined $100,000.
“Due to Clayton’s seven prior felony convictions – in Fulton County for possession and distribution of cocaine, robbery, and firearms possession, and in Cobb for possession of cocaine – he will not be eligible for parole for 20 years,” the DA’s office said in the release.
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