Albany man gets 20-year-plus meth sentence

The Albany Herald, Ga.
·2 min read
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Sep. 6—ALBANY — An Albany resident with a lengthy criminal history of trafficking controlled substances in the community was sentenced to federal prison after being caught distributing methamphetamine during a GBI-led investigation.

Gregory Washington, 30, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 262 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Louis Sands after Washington previously pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine. There is no parole in the federal system.

"Career offenders who repeatedly break the law must be held accountable for their crimes," U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. "Law enforcement is working to identify and bring to justice those individuals who are instigating the most havoc in the communities we serve, in an effort to reduce crime and make our neighborhoods safer."

"ATF's central objective is ensuring the safety of local residents," Assistant Special Agent in Charge Beau Kolodka. "To accomplish this mission, ATF will aggressively and acutely target individuals who seek to diminish the general welfare through violence, narcotics sales and illegal firearms trafficking."

"Illegal drugs have no place in Georgia," GBI Director Michael Register said. "They are dangerous and threaten the safety of our communities. We will continue to work diligently with our federal partners to investigate drug trafficking."

According to court documents, state and federal agents were conducting surveillance regarding Washington's ongoing controlled substance distribution activities in the Albany community. On Aug. 12, 2021, an undercover GBI agent communicated with Washington about purchasing a quantity of methamphetamine and agreed to conduct the transaction at a store on West Oakridge Drive in Albany.

Surveillance units observed Washington first meet with the occupant of a vehicle at a nearby gas station before meeting with the undercover agent. The substance sold to the undercover agent by Washington amounted to 111.343 grams of methamphetamine with 100% purity. Washington has a lengthy criminal history with multiple felony convictions in Dougherty County Superior Court for the distribution of controlled substances.

The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives and the GBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah McEwen prosecuted the case.