(Image source from: YouTube)
A former rapper Tommie Walker from Atlanta was charged on federal drug trafficking charges after he was part of a multistate distribution ring, investigators said.
Tommie Walker aka "Columbia BT" and Juan Carlos Garcia-Martinez was accused on Friday. They face federal charges of drug trafficking and possession with the aim to distribute cocaine.
"These defendants were allegedly part of a multi-state drug distribution scheme that transported and distributed cocaine worth approximately $4 million," said the United States Attorney B.J. Pak. "Thanks to the work of law enforcement in Georgia, South Carolina, and Colorado, this drug enterprise is now history."
According to Pak, the probe started in August 2017.
Pak said Walker is accused of operating a warehouse in the Atlanta area where he received shipments of cocaine hidden in tractor-trailers from Colorado. The hard drug would point in time to be distributed throughout South Carolina and Georgia. Garcia-Martinez is alleged to be a co-conspirator.
Officers seized over 135kg of cocaine, during the investigation, valued at more than $4 million. They as well confiscated more than $220,000 in cash.
According to Pak, Walker allegedly used his illegal drug proceeds to finance a "lavish lifestyle" that he displayed in rap videos.
Pak said some of the property seized from the drug proceeds included a 2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn and a 2013 Bentley Mulsanne.
Waler, 42, is charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and three counts of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
Garcia-Martinez, 37, and Samuel Anchondo-Galaviz, 40, are each charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.
"This investigation is an excellent example of the working relationships that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Atlanta-Carolinas High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) have with their law enforcement partners," said Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the Atlanta DEA Field Division.
"The defendants were transporting large quantities of drugs throughout our neighborhoods, and the dismantlement of this criminal organization will have a positive local impact and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal drug trafficking in our communities," he added.
-Sowmya Sangam
