COLUMBUS - A Phenix City, Alabama man found guilty of attempting to sell 10 kilos of cocaine to an undercover agent was sentenced to 128 months imprisonment and five years supervised release, said Charles “Charlie" Peeler, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. A federal jury found Kenneth James, 51, guilty of Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute on March 13, 2019, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land. There is no parole in the federal system.
Mr. James was arrested at the Columbus Welcome Center parking lot on Williams Road in October 2017, during an undercover surveillance operation conducted by the Columbus Police Department. The defendant was carrying 11,995 grams of cocaine in brick form with the intent to sell 10 kilos of cocaine at $27,500 per kilo. A co-defendant, Marcus Marshall, 35, of Columbus, Georgia was also arrested during the sting, pleaded guilty to his crime, and was previously sentenced. Mr. James has a criminal past, and was convicted in December 1999 on the charge of Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute in the Middle District of Alabama.
“The penalty is severe for career criminals who traffic large quantities of illegal drugs in the Middle District of Georgia," said Charles “Charlie" Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. “The Columbus Police Department stopped a tremendous amount of cocaine from being distributed in their city by two known, high-quantity drug traffickers. I want to personally thank them for their efforts in this case."
This case was investigated by the Columbus Police Department and the DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mel Hyde and Chris Williams are prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
