ATLANTA — A Georgia man is facing at least 10 years in prison after a drug-soaked rug addressed to him was discovered at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta.
Chad Williamson, 42, of Fitzgerald, pleaded guilty last week to possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, WSB-TV reported.
According to prosecutors, investigators also discovered packages of crystal meth separate from the rug soaked with two kilograms of the narcotic, the TV station reported.
Fitzgerald is about 185 miles southeast of Atlanta, according to The Telegraph.
U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a prepared statement that Williamson was “part of a larger international network using any means necessary to smuggle methamphetamine into Southwest Georgia.”
“Thankfully, federal agents intercepted this deadly drug before it could hit the streets,” Leary added.
According to court documents, the packages were manifested as “religious image and/or Bible gift” and were seized by Homeland Security Investigations agents in March 2021 after arriving from Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, WSB reported.
Williamson is facing a minimum 10-year sentence in exchange for his Sept. 8 guilty plea but could receive as much as a life sentence plus a $10 million fine, The Telegraph reported.
According to the news release, federal agents knocked on Williamson’s door the same day they discovered the smuggling attempt. Williamson was then administered a drug test by his probation officer, which he failed, and was arrested.
Prosecutors said Williamson later told agents that an “associate” had packages mailed to his address to deliver drugs in the United States, The Telegraph reported.
Investigators found several messages on Williamson’s phone with a contact named “Costa Chris,” and a pattern of communications between the pair indicating a history of illegal drug deliveries, WSB reported.