U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary | U.S. Department of Justice
A West Georgia resident, Howatdrick Jamal Jones, 32, of Woodbury, has been sentenced to over 14 years in federal prison for firearms and drug trafficking charges. This sentence will run concurrently with his current life sentence in state prison. U.S. District Judge Clay Land handed down the 175-month sentence on December 17, followed by five years of supervised release. Jones was found guilty of possession of cocaine base with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon after a bench trial on September 23.
U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary stated, “Violent reoffenders must be held accountable for their crimes.” He emphasized the collaboration with law enforcement partners to bring offenders to justice. Robert J. Murphy from the DEA Atlanta Division noted that this case demonstrates the agency's resolve against violent drug traffickers: “Guns, drugs and violence are unfortunately all too common tools of the drug trafficking organizations operating in our communities.”
Waverly Hall Police Chief Jason Durham expressed gratitude for the efforts of law enforcement involved in the case: “This is another proven example that illegal drugs and guns will not be tolerated.”
The evidence presented at trial showed that Jones was stopped by Waverly Hall police on October 16, 2019. An alert from an automatic license plate reader indicated active arrest warrants for the car owner. Upon stopping him, officers smelled marijuana and discovered cocaine along with paraphernalia inside his vehicle; he also had a .45 caliber pistol concealed on him. At that time, Jones had multiple prior felony drug convictions making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
Jones was previously convicted of bank robbery on September 20, 2023, in Pike County Superior Court and is serving a life sentence for that crime.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Waverly Hall Police Department with assistance from FBI and Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Williams and Crawford Seals prosecuted this case.
