California man sentenced for trafficking drugs to north Georgia, DOJ says

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - A California man has been sentenced to 28 years in prison for trafficking drugs to north Georgia, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The DOJ said Wilfort Foster III, 41, led a ring that trafficked “hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine, as well as significant quantities of fentanyl” between California and Cartersville, Georgia.

Foster ran the operation out of his barbershop in California. On one occasion, he gave a co-defendant 22 kilograms of methamphetamine to bring to Georgia.

His contacts in Georgia laundered more than $600,000 to him.

The DOJ said agents seized more than a dozen guns and “significant quantities of narcotics.”

Foster was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

He was sentenced to 28 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Steven Ham, 43, of Cartersville, had been previously sentenced to 15 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

The following individuals also pleaded guilty to charges in connection with the operation:

• Clifford Alexander, 39, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Frank Miller, 47, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Kenneth Antoine Scott, 41, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
• Lori Silvers, 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
• Nia Thomas, 31, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

All are waiting to be sentenced.