NEWNAN, Ga. – Two have pleaded guilty to numerous charges related to drug trafficking after being stopped by local deputies in Coweta County.
According to a press release issued from Ryan Buchanan, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Oscar Waters pleaded guilty to trafficking multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other illegal narcotics through Georgia. His co-defendant, Keisha Jackson-Murchison pleaded guilty to the concealment of a felony.
“Fentanyl and heroin pose extraordinary dangers to public safety and have destroyed countless lives,” Buchanan said. “Individuals who seek to profit from distributing these deadly drugs in and through our communities will be brought to justice through the collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners.”
“Stopping traffickers who attempt to bring their poison into our communities is one of the most impactful missions we undertake,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue to work with our partners to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved with these deadly, illicit drugs.”
According to Buchanan, on September 18, 2023, a police officer in Grantville, Georgia stopped a vehicle for speeding on Interstate 85. Jackson-Murchison, a convicted felon, was identified as the driver. Waters, a convicted drug dealer, was a passenger in the vehicle.
Authorities say during an initial search of the vehicle, the officer found several bags of marijuana. As officers attempted to detain Waters for the marijuana, Jackson-Murchison retrieved a backpack and large duffel bag from the car and ran barefoot across three lanes of traffic before disappearing into a wooded area. Numerous vehicles swerved to avoid hitting Jackson-Murchison.
Coweta County Sheriff’s deputies and K-9 unit located Jackson-Murchison in the woods and found the bags she removed from her car. In addition to the marijuana, officers discovered nearly three kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, more than 2.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, more than a quarter-kilogram of crack cocaine, and approximately five ounces of heroin. Further investigation revealed that Waters hired Jackson-Murchison to drive him to Alabama, where Waters intended to distribute the drugs.
Sentencing for Oscar Dominick Waters, 39, of Roanoke, Virginia, is scheduled for February 25, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.
Sentencing for Keisha Jackson-Murchison, 36, of Springfield, Massachusetts, is also scheduled for February 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Batten.