Atlanta Man Sentenced To 30 Years In Federal Prison For Trafficking Methamphetamine In North Florida

 PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA – Gerry F. Carter, 34, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced yesterday to a total of 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and weapons charges stemming from an organization that distributed methamphetamine in North Florida. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.

“Drug traffickers have one thing in common: They are more concerned with personal profit than the lives that they ruin. We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners in any way we can as we work together to investigate and prosecute these criminals bringing drugs into North Florida,” U.S. Attorney Keefe said.

Carter was the Atlanta-based supplier of drugs distributed by a methamphetamine-trafficking organization operating in North Florida. Carter provided the organization with at least 120 kilograms of methamphetamine between August 2018 and February 2019. He also possessed several handguns, which he carried to protect his drug money. Carter was the subject of a DEA sting operation conducted on July 18, 2019, when Carter attempted to pick up $21,000 from a person in Tallahassee, Florida, to be used for the purchase of 3 kilograms of methamphetamine. Unknown to Carter, the “purchaser” was an undercover agent.

“Due to the outstanding cooperation and coordination by our collective law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, this individual no longer poses a significant risk of distributing dangerous narcotics throughout Northern Florida communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Keith Weis.

Carter pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking offense. Carter qualified for sentencing as a career offender because of convictions for two prior drug-trafficking offenses. He will serve 25 years on the conspiracy charge, followed by 5 years on the firearm charge. The Court also ordered 10 years of supervised release following the completion of Carter’s prison term.

This sentencing resulted from the collaborative work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James A. McCain.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website.  For more information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.