A Southwest Georgia man guilty of drug distribution was sentenced to 20 years in prison after federal agents discovered fabric soaked in methamphetamine and crystal meth in packages at the Atlanta airport addressed to him from Mexico.
Chad Williamson, 44, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 240 months (20 years) in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner after he pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Sept. 8. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, two packages containing methamphetamine and addressed to Williamson were intercepted by Homeland Security Investigations at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Parcel Center in March 2021. The packages were shipped from Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, and marked as religious images and/or Bible gifts; one of the boxes contained a methamphetamine-soaked fabric, which can be chemically extracted for use. There were also approximately 450 grams of crystal methamphetamine in the packages.
DEA agents went to Williamson’s residence on March 11, 2021. Williamson had removed the SIM card from his phone in an attempt to hide its contents. Williamson’s probation officer administered a drug test, which Williamson failed. Williamson was placed under arrest and subsequently admitted to agents that an associate used Williamson’s address for drug deliveries. The SIM card was located, and a download of Williamson’s phone showed a number of messages he had exchanged with the source of supply, saved in his phone as “Costa Chris.” The messages revealed an ongoing relationship between the two regarding illicit controlled substance deliveries requiring tracking and other drug deals.
The case was investigated by DEA with assistance from HSI.
Criminal Chief Leah McEwen prosecuted the case.
