Three plead guilty in federal gun, drug case in Macon

Prosecutors say the investigation uncovered an illegal network selling firearms and drugs across the area.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Three Macon men have pleaded guilty or been sentenced in a federal firearms and drug trafficking investigation that resulted in dozens of weapons being taken off the streets, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Federal prosecutors say the case is tied to an investigation led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that uncovered an illegal network selling guns and drugs in the Macon area.

32-year-old Brandon Thorpe pleaded guilty on Thursday to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and faces up to 15 years in prison.

44-year-old Lonnie Alexander pleaded guilty on Tuesday to distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, with a maximum sentence of life.

25-year-old John Cato was sentenced in February to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to firearms trafficking.

According to court documents, investigators began looking into Alexander in March 2024 after learning he was selling firearms and narcotics in Macon.

The investigation revealed multiple illegal transactions over more than a year, including sales of guns and drugs at homes, gas stations and parking lots.

Prosecutors say some of the activity happened within 1,000 feet of Mercer University’s campus. According to prosecutors, during that transaction, Alexander distributed more than 27 grams of cocaine to someone in the parking lot of Towne Place Suites, and he sold more than 40 grams of cocaine at different times earlier that month.

During one transaction in April 2025, investigators say Alexander and Cato sold firearms and methamphetamine, including a machinegun.

In total, agents say they seized 30 firearms, including a machinegun, conversion devices and stolen guns, along with cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs.

“High-capacity firearms and ammunition, including a machinegun, were removed from the streets of Macon and the defendants were held accountable for their crimes as a result of this ATF-led investigation,” U.S. Attorney William R. ‘Will’ Keyes said. “Our office is working in close partnership with local, state and federal authorities to uphold the law and make every community we serve safer.”