A Macon man with a prior federal conviction faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to leading an armed drug trafficking organization supplying large quantities of methamphetamine in Middle Georgia, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – A Macon man with a prior federal conviction faces up to life in prison after pleading guilty to leading an armed drug trafficking organization supplying large quantities of methamphetamine in Middle Georgia, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
43-year-old Julian Derwayne Coker, also known as “Red” and “Bread Red,” pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to life in prison, followed by ten years of supervised release and a $20 million fine.
Several of Coker’s codefendants have also pleaded guilty:
- 49-year-old Jonathan Kelly McBride pleaded guilty on October 23 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
- 44-year-old Rodney Sentell Hardin, also known as “Rod,” pleaded guilty on October 9 to one count of distribution of methamphetamine. He faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
- 47-year-old Lisa Nanette McNeer pleaded guilty on October 22 to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. She faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $1 million fine.
- 49-year-old Erin Marie Jones pleaded guilty on June 5 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced on September 5 to serve 48 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell is presiding over the case.
“Armed drug trafficking organizations promote violence and sow chaos in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said. “Our office is committed to disrupting criminal networks, reducing gun violence and building safer communities.”
According to court documents and statements made public in court, the FBI began investigating Coker’s drug trafficking organization in 2022, leading to multiple controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Coker and Hardin. Sales of illegal drugs happened on February 13 and March 24, 2022, with Hardin selling methamphetamine he obtained from Coker to a confidential source.
Coker sold methamphetamine to a confidential source five times between June and September 2022 at locations in Macon. Wiretaps revealed that Coker was supplying methamphetamine to Hardin and others. Agents executed multiple search warrants on November 15, 2022, including at Coker’s residence on Forsyth Road. They found methamphetamine in pill and crystal forms stashed in an air fryer and a bag in the kitchen. The crystal methamphetamine weighed 11,166.01 grams with purity ranging from 96% to 100%; the pressed pill methamphetamine weighed 79.87 grams. Agents also found a 9mm pistol inside a jacket embroidered with Coker’s alias “Bread Red” and seized $13,891.
In total, Coker’s organization is responsible for distributing dozens of kilograms of methamphetamine. Coker has a prior federal controlled substance distribution conviction.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). Assistant U.S. Attorney Joy Odom is prosecuting the case for the government.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles high-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
