A Burke County man has admitted taking part in a methamphetamine distribution operation.
Investigators discovered the scheme through delivery of a commercial pill press.
Telly Savalas Carswell, 47, of Midville, Ga., entered a guilty plea in U.S. District Court to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine, said David H. Estes, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The charge carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release.
“Our law enforcement partners, particularly the investigators from the Drug Enforcement administration, did an outstanding job in discovering and shutting down this meth-trafficking operation,” said Estes. “Whether it’s in the larger cities or smaller towns of the Southern District, we are determined to eradicate this poison from our communities.”
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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) began the investigation in January 2020 when a commercial pill press was delivered to the home Savalas shared with a co-defendant.
Working with the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, DEA agents conducted a search of the residence on May 7, 2020 and found a pill press, along with methamphetamine, heroin and other drugs valued at nearly $9,000 as well as paraphernalia related to drug trafficking.
“Criminals like Mr. Carswell rely on pill presses to create dangerous counterfeit medications which contain toxic substances such as methamphetamine, as was the case in this investigation,” said Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to keeping our neighborhoods safe from dangerous drugs.”
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