Feds: 6 indicted in conspiracy to produce, distribute opioids
ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Six people have been indicted on charges related to a conspiracy to produce large amounts of pills and possession with intent to distribute a powerful synthetic opioid, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The indictments, announced Tuesday, are linked to a conspiracy dating back to 2016 involving large amounts of drugs bought and sold on the Dark Web and throughout Georgia, authorities said.
Walker Christian Forrester, 24, of Loganville, and Kolbie Hadden Watters, 22, of Augusta, face several charges, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm and money laundering. If convicted, they could be sentenced to life in prison.
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Larry Overton, 46, of Harlem is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and using or maintaining a drug premise. He faces up to 20 years.
Jonathan Britt Lester, 22, of Loganville; Armand Sananda Saedi, 27, of Atlanta; and Morgan McKenzie Slaton, 22, of Hoschton are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute. If convicted, they could receive up to five years in prison.
Watters and Lester also face charges of felony murder in Walton County in the beating and suffocation death of a suspected co-conspirator. The body of Chase David Loffler, 25, was found buried in a shallow grave.
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“Opioid abuse is a crisis in our communities, and we will continue to be committed to targeting those who compound the problem,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “This case is an example of what can be accomplished when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and their resources are combined to fight this national trend.”
President Trump and first lady Melania Trump are scheduled to visit Atlanta on Wednesday to address the opioid crisis during the 8th annual Rx Drug Abuse & Heroin Summit.
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