Wheeler inmate gets 15-plus years in federal drug case

Federal prosecutors say Dequatte Tucker was part of a large-scale drug trafficking operation directed in part from inside Georgia prisons using contraband cellphones.

ALAMO, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — An inmate at Wheeler Correctional Facility in Alamo has been sentenced to more than 15 years in federal prison for his role in a southern Georgia drug trafficking operation.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia says 34-year-old Dequatte Tucker was sentenced to 188 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Tucker pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, according to federal prosecutors.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Tucker was one of three additional defendants sentenced in the case. Federal prosecutors say the defendants were part of a large-scale drug trafficking operation that involved importing and distributing drugs in the Douglas area and surrounding counties.

According to court documents and testimony, much of the conspiracy was directed from inside Georgia state prisons using contraband cellphones.

Federal prosecutors say the investigation led to the seizure of 21 illegally possessed firearms and more than $17,000.

“The sentences imposed hold these conspirators accountable for their roles in a drug trafficking operation that endangered our communities,” U.S. Attorney Margaret E. ‘Meg’ Heap said. “Let this message be clear: Those who traffic narcotics in our communities will be identified, prosecuted and brought to justice.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 33 additional defendants have been convicted after pleading guilty to various drug and gun-related charges. Seventeen of them have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 126 months.

The FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Coffee County Sheriff’s Office Drug Unit and several other agencies assisted in the investigation.