NE Georgia Resident Sentenced in Prison-Directed Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

MACON, Ga. – A Commerce, Georgia, resident convicted for his role in a larger inmate-directed armed drug conspiracy operating in the Athens, Georgia, area was sentenced to serve 19 years in prison for his crimes today.

Brendan R. Gates, 37, of Commerce, Georgia, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal to serve 228 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. This federal prison term will be served consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed in a pending Gwinnett County, Georgia, Superior Court case. Gates was found guilty by a federal jury on Sept. 21, 2022, of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Gates’ co-defendant at trial, Cindy Stamey, 51, of Danielsville, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison on Sept. 18, 2023, after she was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

“Armed criminal networks create chaos and sow destruction in our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Law enforcement at every level is working together and tirelessly to dismantle these types of criminal networks in a collective effort to make our towns and cities safer.”

“Drug dealing breeds violence and traffickers who engage in this dangerous lifestyle often protect their drug stash with firearms,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Consequently, these defendants will spend well-deserved time in prison. DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to making communities safer by removing such criminals from the streets.”

The following co-defendants have been sentenced:

Adonias Sales Temaj aka “Alacran,” 28, of Norcross, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on July 14, 2022, and was sentenced to 260 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release;

Malcody Dinges aka Cody aka “Yes, Sir Cody,” 43, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on Dec. 16, 2021, and was sentenced to 240 months in prison (to run consecutive to any state-imposed sentence) to be followed by three years of supervised release;

Ervin Sales Temaj aka “Milton Aguilar,” 34, of Norcross, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 13, 2022, and was sentenced to 121 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release;

Carrie Kasper, 31, of Athens, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on July 15, 2021, and was sentenced to 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release;

Christopher Wilson, 41, of Hull, Georgia, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on April 13, 2022, and was sentenced to 55 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release;

Justin Maddox, 44, of Athens, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Aug. 3, 2021, and was sentenced to 30 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; and

Katlyn Lackey, 21, of Commerce, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on May 12, 2022, and was sentenced to 20 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.

The defendants are not eligible for parole.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, federal agents learned in 2018 that co-defendant Dinges was conducting drug deals using contraband cell phones while in custody at the Wheeler Correctional Facility. During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Dinges was communicating with Gates and other co-defendants located in the Athens area about distributing controlled substances; these individuals would travel to locations in Atlanta as directed by Dinges to receive methamphetamine and return to Athens to distribute the drugs. Dinges received a fee for brokering the deals. When federal agents executed a search warrant at Gates’ residence, they seized a handgun and methamphetamine.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The case was investigated by DEA, the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, the Athens-Clarke Police Department, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office and the Madison County Sheriff Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tamara Jarrett is prosecuting the case.