A Miami man was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison in connection with a cocaine ring operating in Laurens County.
According to a news release, 44-year-old Michael Goins was sentenced to 151 months in prison. Nine other men received sentences from 2 1/2 years up to 10 years for drug trafficking in the case. They were sentenced in the U.S. District Court in Dublin. The other nine people, of Dublin, are:
- Andre Wright, 40, sentenced to 120 months;
- Christopher Duty, 36, sentenced to 36 months;
- Brady Linton, 31, sentenced to 78 months;
- Anatay Kyler, 36, sentenced to 71 months;
- Jerome Kellam, 38, sentenced to 30 months;
- Christopher Willis, 36, sentenced to 39 months;
- Luther Hurst, 52, sentenced to five years probation;
- Derrick Moye, 35, sentenced to 50 months;
- Verdell Goins, Jr., 45, sentenced to 41 months
"The persons indicted in this case exploited their ties to the local area to establish a flourishing drug business," U.S. Attorney Edward Tarver said in a statement. "In 2013 alone, this organization trafficked about 15 kilograms of cocaine and caused all the attendant misery which follows the drug trade. The dismantling of this organization sends an important message about the consequences of dealing drugs in the Southern District of Georgia. I am pleased that the DEA and the Laurens County Sheriff's Office formed a very effective partnership to dismantle this organization."
In 2013, Laurens County deputies, federal DEA agents, a deputy U.S. Marshal and Georgia Department of Corrections canine teams executed search warrants at seven homes in Dublin and Laurens County. According to Sheriff Bill Harrell, they also found one kilo of cocaine, valued at over $80,000, impounded 10 vehicles and seized several firearms and about $14,000 in cash.
Harrell said the raids came after a two-year investigation.
