– Southern District of Georgia drug trafficking conspiracy
– Augusta-area drug trafficking case.

Accident – Death – Obituary News :

Last Defendant in Augusta Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Sentenced

AUGUSTA, GA: The final member of a drug trafficking conspiracy in Augusta has been handed a sentence of over ten years in federal prison. Justin Wayne Fields, a 40-year-old resident of Swainsboro, Ga., pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine and Heroin. Fields was sentenced to 168 months in prison, fined $2,500, and will be subject to three years of supervised release after completing his prison term, according to U.S. Attorney Jill E. Steinberg.

Fields was part of a network that collaborated with a Georgia state prison inmate to facilitate the transportation of methamphetamine and heroin from Atlanta to Richmond and Emanuel Counties. The investigation and prosecution of this operation, along with a related conspiracy, led to the incarceration of numerous defendants, thereby eliminating their harmful influence on local communities, said U.S. Attorney Steinberg.

The investigations into the drug trafficking conspiracies, known as Operation Wheat Fields, resulted in the indictment of 10 defendants in USA v. Fields et. al in October 2022, and seven defendants in USA v. Wheatley et. al in April 2022. These investigations revealed a widespread conspiracy involving the transportation and distribution of significant quantities of methamphetamine and heroin in Richmond and Emanuel counties.

Law enforcement authorities uncovered a drug pipeline originating in Mexico, which passed through Atlanta before reaching the greater Augusta area. The defendants, including inmates in Georgia prisons, utilized contraband devices such as cell phones to communicate via text messages and Facebook to facilitate their illegal activities. Multiple searches of residences, vehicles, and hotel rooms were conducted, leading to the seizure of illegal drugs and firearms.

In addition to Fields, the other defendants in these cases have already pleaded guilty to federal charges. Jayson Dwayne Wheatley, the leader of the parallel conspiracy indicted in USA v. Wheatley et. al, was sentenced to 240 months in prison. Joshua Brooks Woodward, an inmate in a Georgia state prison, used illicit cell phones to coordinate the distribution of drugs from an Atlanta-area supplier to Fields and other members of the conspiracy. Woodward received a sentence of 134 months in prison. Elizabeth Sarah Hagan, who assisted Woodward in transporting money and purchasing drugs for distribution, was sentenced to 120 months in prison.

Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, stated, “This sentence is a direct message to criminals that ATF will not allow egregious violations of our laws go unpunished. If you traffic guns and drugs, you will be targeted, and we will ensure that you are prosecuted and removed from our streets.”

Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division, emphasized the risks posed by those who distribute dangerous drugs like methamphetamine and heroin in our communities. He stated, “DEA will use any resource necessary to remove these dangerous drug traffickers from our communities.”

Chris Hosey, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, added, “This sentencing shows that the GBI and our partners will not tolerate the nefarious acts of those who seek to traffic drugs in Georgia. These drugs poison our communities and destroy families. There is no place for illegal drugs in our state, and we will continue to work to remove them from our streets and keep our communities safe.”

The investigation into Operation Wheat Fields was conducted under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-level criminal organizations that pose a threat to the United States. The operation was a joint effort involving the Swainsboro Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes.

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1. “Augusta-area drug trafficking conspiracy sentencing”
2. “Southern District of Georgia drug trafficking leader sentenced to federal prison”.