Drug-trafficking gang member sentenced to prison for leading narcotics distribution conspiracy

SAVANNAH, GA:  A Liberty County man who brought kilos of methamphetamine to the community for redistribution has been sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison.

Stacey White, 33, of Hinesville, Ga., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 246 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. White also must serve five years of supervised release after completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Methamphetamine is a dangerous, highly addictive drug that destroys lives and damages communities, and Stacey White is responsible for distributing it throughout the Southern District,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Thanks to the dedicated work of our law enforcement partners, his days of spreading poison are over.”

According to court documents and testimony, starting as early as July 2016 through December 2018, White made multiple trips each month to the Atlanta area to obtain up to two kilograms at a time of methamphetamine from a supplier. He then would return to the Southern District where he recruited other defendants to assist him in selling the drugs.

White, a certified member of the violent Bloods criminal street gang, was arrested along with another conspirator in December 2018 while retrieving stolen methamphetamine in Florida. Of the other five members of the conspiracy who were indicted with White in February 2019, three are serving prison terms after entering guilty pleas, while two are in custody and awaiting trial.

White’s criminal record includes multiple arrests over the past decade, with three prior felony convictions in state court. He was on probation on state charges at the time of his arrest.

Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division stated, “The successful results of this investigation should let criminals who flood our communities with methamphetamine know that DEA and its law enforcement partners will not hesitate to use all its resources to destroy their drug distribution networks. These defendants will no longer be able to feed the addicts who struggle with this toxic substance.”

“Illegal drugs and gangs have no place in Georgia,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds. “We will continue to work diligently along with our local and federal partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations that threaten the safety of our communities.”

This drug-trafficking conspiracy was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenna Solari.