Two Dalton Meth Dealers Sent to Federal Prison

RICHIE WILLIS, 23, of Dalton, Georgia, was sentenced October 28 by United States Senior District Judge Robert L. Vining, Jr., on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Two other defendants have been charged in relation to the conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Northwest Georgia.

“These defendants were involved in distributing methamphetamine, a highly addictive and dangerous drug, and they are rightfully going to prison,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “Drugs and guns are a particularly dangerous combination, so defendant Willis received a longer sentence.”

WILLIS was sentenced to 10 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. On October 7, 2010, co-defendant DEBORAH McCULLOUGH, 42, of Cedartown, Georgia was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. WILLIS and McCULLOUGH pleaded guilty to the charges on July 13, 2010.

Co-defendant ANGEL LOPEZ, also known as “Bobby Moss,” 23, of Dalton, Georgia, pleaded guilty on October 26, 2010, to charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, and is awaiting sentencing.

The defendants were indicted on multiple drug-related counts on February 9, 2010. LOPEZ, WILLIS, and McCULLOUGH were indicted on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. LOPEZ and WILLIS were also indicted on one count of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine. In addition, WILLIS was indicted on one count of possessing a firearm in relation to a drug trafficking offense.

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: In late July 2009, a source informed Special Agents of the FBI that DEBORAH McCULLOUGH was selling methamphetamine in the Dalton, Georgia, area. Over the next several months, the FBI, through the source, made controlled purchases of methamphetamine from McCULLOUGH.

In November 2009, the agents approached McCULLOUGH and informed her of their investigation of her drug trafficking activities. McCULLOUGH agreed to cooperate and identified RICHIE WILLIS as her supplier. McCULLOUGH also made several controlled purchases of methamphetamine from WILLIS totaling almost half a pound of methamphetamine. On December 4, 2009, as WILLIS was driving to meet McCULLOUGH for another drug deal, the police stopped WILLIS’s car. WILLIS had two ounces of methamphetamine hidden in his clothing, and a loaded handgun in the center console of his car. After WILLIS was arrested, the agents executed a search warrant on his apartment in Dalton, where they found one and a half pounds of methamphetamine, multiple firearms, and almost $14,000 in cash. WILLIS cooperated with law enforcement officers following his arrest, and identified ANGEL LOPEZ, also known as “Bobby Moss,” as his sole supplier of methamphetamine. LOPEZ, through WILLIS, McCULLOUGH, and other drug dealers, has been accused of distributing dozens of pounds of methamphetamine in the Dalton area over the last three years, and has been charged in related state cases.

LOPEZ is scheduled to be sentenced on January 6, 2011, before United States Senior District Judge Robert L. Vining. LOPEZ could receive a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4,000,000. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following website: www.justthinktwice.com.

This case was investigated by special agents of the FBI and the FBI’s Safe Street Task Force.

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