Commerce man sentenced in federal court for drug conspiracy conviction

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Macon announced this week that a Jackson County man was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for his role in a drug dealing conspiracy that operated out of a state prison.

The sentence was imposed in Macon by U.S. District Judge Ashley Royal on Brendan R. Gates, 37, of Commerce. He was found guilty by a federal jury on Sept. 21 on charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

A co-defendant, Cindy Stamey, 51, of Danielsville was sentenced to 120 months in prison last September. She was also convicted of a meth distribution charge in a jury trial, according to the release.

Trial evidence show that federal agents learned in 2018 that a co-defendant, Malcody Dinges, 43, was conducting drug deals while incarcerated in the Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo, Georgia, according to the U.S. Attorney.

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Agents learned that Dinges  was communicating with Gates and others in the Athens area and would have controlled substances moved from Atlanta to Athens. Federal agents said Dinges received a fee for brokering the deals.

The federal sentence will run consecutive to the state prison time Dinges is currently serving.

Among the others serving time in federal prison for their roles in the conspiracy are Ervin Sales Temaj, 34, of Norcross; Carrie Kasper, 31, of Athens; Christopher Wilson, 41, of Hull; Justin Maddox, 44, of Athens; and, Katlyn Lackey, 21, of Commerce.

They all pleaded guilty to drug possession charges.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Commerce man sentenced to19 years for moving drugs into Athens