Drug-Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced To 22 Years in Prison for Coast-To-Coast Conspiracy

WAYCROSS, GA --- The leader of a coast-to-coast drug trafficking ring will spend more than two decades in federal prison after sentencing this week.

Cedric King, 38, of Waycross, was sentenced by United States District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood to 22 years in federal prison for his role as the leader of a drug trafficking organization that operated in and around South Georgia, Northern Florida, and California, announced Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. King pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, and will be subject to 10 years of supervised release after completion of his sentence as well as required to forfeit over $87,000 and two firearms. There is no parole in the federal prison system.  

During a lengthy undercover investigation, FBI agents and Glynn County Police Department investigators conducted multiple wiretaps to gather evidence and to dismantle King’s drug organization. The investigation revealed that King conspired with others to import large quantities of drugs from Mexico via California and distributed cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, crack cocaine, and marijuana throughout Waycross and surrounding areas.

King, one of 36 conspirators, was arrested in May of 2017 when a wiretap confirmed that he was about to receive another large shipment of drugs from California. Authorities intercepted the drugs in Jacksonville and took King into custody. The operation netted more than six kilograms of cocaine, large quantities of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl, and several pounds of marijuana and methamphetamine, as well as several illegal firearms.

“Step by step, drug dealer by drug dealer, we will be relentless as we continue to identify and remove these violent drug traffickers from our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “With the outstanding cooperation from other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutors, we are united in our determination to disrupt and dismantle these poison-pushers and lock their members up.”

“Residents of Waycross can rest easy that a major distributor of drugs on their streets will no longer be able to burden their community with the crime he inflicted on them,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Atlanta Division. “It would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of our partners in law enforcement. This sentencing should serve as notice to anyone thinking about following in King’s footsteps.”

Agencies that participated in the FBI-led investigation included the Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Probation Office, the Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Ware County Sheriff’s Office, the Waycross Police Department and the Blackshear Police Department. The operation was investigated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), which is comprised of local, state and federal law enforcement agents.

Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer Kirkland and Marcela Mateo prosecuted the cases on behalf of the United States.

For any questions, please contact Barry Paschal at the United States Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422.