The Albany Herald, Ga.
MACON, Ga. — Three co-conspirators guilty of attempting to distribute methamphetamine intended for Macon State Prison have been sentenced to prison for their crimes.
Raquan Emahl Gray, 26, of Conley, was sentenced to serve 240 months to be followed by three years of supervised release after he was found guilty by a federal jury on May 24 of one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Daquann Marquez Epps, 26, of Columbus, was sentenced to serve 75 months to be followed by three years of supervised release after he previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
Demarea Demond Carey, 28, of Fairburn, was sentenced to serve 75 months to be followed by three years of supervised release after he previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal handed down the sentences. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Those who facilitate drug trafficking into our prisons — putting both inmates and staff at risk — will be held accountable at the federal level,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “Preventing contraband from entering our prison system remains a high priority for our office and our law enforcement partners.”
“These defendants attempted to get drugs into a prison, but instead have landed themselves there,” Robert J. Murphy, the special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said. “This investigation was a success because of the spirited efforts of all law enforcement agencies involved.”
“Illegal drugs have no place in Georgia, including in our prison system,” GBI Director Michael Register said. “They are dangerous and threaten the safety of all populations. We will continue to work diligently along with our local and federal partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations no matter where they are.”
According to court documents and evidence presented at Gray’s trial, Gray and Epps were the passengers of a vehicle driven by Carey that was pulled over by a Crawford County Sherriff’s Office deputy in Roberta for traveling 25 mph over the posted speed limit on Sept. 2, 2019.
A strong odor of marijuana was emanating from the car, and Carey admitted he had smoked marijuana. A probable cause search of the vehicle found various packages wrapped in different colored duct tape and some were numbered. Some packages were softball shaped and wrapped in electrical tape.
The packages contained 494 grams of methamphetamine, 150 pills which tested as methamphetamine, 50 cellphones, two large bags of cellphone chargers, approximately three pounds of marijuana, 19 bags of tobacco, a large bag of cigars and 19 lighters. Carey’s GPS destination on his cellphone was set for Macon State Prison. Gray has an extensive criminal history including felony convictions for robbery, burglary and theft by taking.
The DEA, GBI, Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, the Peach County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia Department of Corrections investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Will Keyes and Leah McEwen prosecuted the case.