Atlanta Man Sentenced to 28+ Years in Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl that Contributed to a Poisoning Death

MACON, Ga. – An Atlanta resident who was supplying large quantities of fentanyl and other controlled substances to distributors in Middle Georgia was sentenced to serve more than 28 years in prison for conspiring to distribute fentanyl in a case where investigators found evidence of an individual who overdosed and died from drugs supplied by the defendant.

Lagary Williams aka “Frog,” 40, of Atlanta, was sentenced to serve 340 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Aug. 8. Williams pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances on Oct. 30, 2023. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Lagary Williams—who was recorded on wiretap mocking the death of a man who overdosed on his fentanyl supply—is now held accountable for providing kilograms of fentanyl and other deadly drugs to people living in Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat we’ve faced, and our office will continue to pour every available resource into addressing the fentanyl crisis alongside our federal, local and state law enforcement partners.”

“Fentanyl and methamphetamine have taken a terrible toll on our communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration Atlanta Division. “This drug distributor and his associates will now face the consequences of their actions.”

“A large amount of deadly fentanyl and methamphetamine was taken off the streets of Central Georgia, and a key supplier has been stopped,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “Partnering with law enforcement at every level, GBI will continue to dedicate resources to investigating armed drug distribution activity in a collective effort to make the communities we serve safer.”

According to court documents, statements and evidence admitted in court, agents with the DEA Macon Resident Office (MRO), the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force (ODTF) and the GBI received credible and reliable information from multiple confidential sources regarding illegal drug activities occurring in the Milledgeville area in July 2020. Co-defendant Damon Hayes was identified as a multi-kilogram distributor of methamphetamine, powder cocaine and crack cocaine with Williams as his supply source. Through surveillance, agents observed Hayes acquire bulk quantities of narcotics from Williams’ luxury high-rise apartment in downtown Atlanta. During the course of the investigation, Williams and another distributor were recorded on wiretap discussing an overdose victim who died from fentanyl supplied by Williams. In the wiretap played during the sentencing hearing, Williams said, “You got one under your belt, boy [laughing]" to the distributor about the victim’s death by fentanyl poisoning. Williams also made statements demonstrating he was aware of the dangerously high strength of the fentanyl he was sourcing.

On Sept. 10, 2021, after intercepts on the wiretap indicated that Hayes was travelling to Atlanta to meet Williams for a drug re-supply meeting, a federal search warrant issued in the Northern District of Georgia was executed at Williams’ apartment. Agents encountered Williams and another person, who both jumped off the apartment’s balcony to evade capture. Both individuals were subsequently captured.

Agents recovered 2.5 kilograms of fentanyl in the apartment, as well as one kilogram of methamphetamine, two kilograms of cocaine, approximately 50 grams of cocaine base, approximately seven pounds of marijuana, a Glock 19 9mm pistol and a Ruger model 57 handgun. For information about the convictions of codefendants in this case, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdga/pr/atlanta-based-fentanyl-meth-supplier-central-georgia-pleads-guilty.

Over the past several years, the Justice Department has focused on breaking apart every link in the global fentanyl supply chain – from China to Mexico to the United States. To learn more, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fact-sheet-justice-department-actions-counter-scourge-fentanyl-and-other-synthetic-drugs.

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, GBI, the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, the Baldwin County Sherriff’s Office, the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office, the Jones County Sheriff’s Office, the Atlanta-Carolina’s HIDTA Office and the Gwinnett Metro Task Force.

Deputy Criminal Chief Will Keyes prosecuted the case for the Government.