'Drug Kingpin' With Ties to Mexico's Gulf Cartel Convicted in Massive Cocaine Bust in Georgia

By Jess Smith First Posted: Nov 02, 2021 05:57 AM EDT

A man from middle Georgia was found guilty of three racketeering charges Monday after authorities identified him in court as the drug kingpin running a regional drug-dealing operation with ties to Mexico's Gulf Cartel.

According to U.S. News, the probe conducted by the Houston County Drug Investigations unit led to the arrest of 53-year-old Dexter Lee Williams in March 2020.

Georgia Drug Kingpin's Connection with Gulf Cartel of Mexico

The investigation connected Dexter Lee Williams to a shipment of 87 pounds or 39 kilograms of cocaine. According to authorities, the said the worth of the drug shipment was nearly $4 million.

Macon Telegraph reported that narcotics agents intercepted the shipment at Love's Travel Stop on Sardis Church Road in south Macon on March 4, 2020.

During the reading of the verdict, Williams reportedly did not show any emotion. The alleged Georgia drug kingpin could face up to 60 years in prison at sentencing.

Drug Kingpin's Attorney Says Prosecutors Out of Their Jurisdiction

During the trial, Wanda Jackson, the attorney of Dexter Lee Williams, argued that the prosecutors overstepped in their bounds and that the charges were improperly brought.

Jackson pointed out that Williams was not part of a Houston County conspiracy, and his client only sold drugs to a man in Macon whose connections had dealings in neighboring communities.

However, prosecutors countered the argument of Jackson by saying to jurors that Williams' actions were part of a long pattern of criminal activity. The prosecutors noted that Williams was previously sentenced to 37 months in prison in 2007 for distributing marijuana.

Houston County prosecutor Greg Winters said he was surprised by the volume of the drugs seized on March 4, 2020 in south Macon. Winters told the Telegraph that in his time as a prosecutor, he had never seen the same amount of illegal drugs that were brought in in just one shipment alone.

Authorities also said they used wiretaps and other surveillance methods during the investigation, and more than 25,000 telephone conversations and text messages were monitored.

Aside from the Georgia drug kingpin, authorities said the probe also led to the arrests of more than a dozen suspected local dealers. Winters even played some phone calls for the jury to hear in which Williams could be heard arranging drug deals.

Prosecutors noted that Williams' network supplied narcotics to dealers across the region, including Butts County and the Jackson area. One official also testified the drug organization had likely been operating for not less than five years.

Prosecutors added that Williams even planned to expand his drug operations not only in Washington, D.C. but also in New York City with cocaine supplied by Mexico's Gulf Cartel.

William Kendal, Houston's Acting District Attorney, said in a statement that Williams' drug operation put money over everything else and that the drug kingpin had no concern about how many lives he impacted or devastated by his actions.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

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