Georgia Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years for Fentanyl Distribution

Photo byGDC

Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice have announced that a 42-year-old man from Dublin, Georgia, has been sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing fentanyl.

Court documents and testimony presented during the proceedings revealed that Ricky Rich, the defendant, was identified as a "prolific drug distributor" by investigators from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

According to officials, investigators discovered a substantial quantity of drugs, including fentanyl and drug paraphernalia, at Rich's residence. At the time of his arrest, Rich was on parole for previous state drug trafficking charges.

Records from the Georgia Department of Corrections indicate that Rich has a lengthy criminal history, having been imprisoned multiple times for felony convictions, primarily related to drug offenses, in Emanuel County and Laurens County. His convictions include theft by taking, three counts of burglary (2006), possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (2015 and 2019), two counts of methamphetamine sales (2019), possession of counterfeit drugs (2019), and possession of drug-related paraphernalia (2019).

Rich pleaded guilty to one count of distributing fentanyl and received a sentence of 228 months (19 years) in federal prison. Additionally, he was fined $2,500 and ordered to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. In the federal system, there is no parole, meaning Rich will be 61 years old upon release.

Apart from this federal case, Rich also faces prosecution for related state charges.

Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, Robert J. Murphy, noted that approximately 110,757 people died in 2023 in the United States due to drug poisonings, a majority of which were linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl. "The DEA remains committed to bringing justice to drug traffickers who fuel addiction and devastate communities," Murphy stated.

The investigation was conducted by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, the Savannah Field Office of the DEA, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with prosecution handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. Harper III.

Attributions: All information was obtained from the U.S. Department of Justice and the GDC.