‘Bible gift’ at Atlanta airport was actually a meth-soaked rug, feds say
Packages marked as a “Bible gift” seized at the Atlanta airport actually hid a meth-soaked rug inside — and more meth, federal prosecutors say.
Now a Georgia man faces at least 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison after the meth-filled packages were addressed to him and mailed from Mexico, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Chad Williamson, 42, of Fitzgerald, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute on Sept. 8, the office announced in a Sept. 13 news release.
This comes after Homeland Security Investigations opened the mailed packages, also marked as containing a “religious image” alongside a Bible gift, and found the soaked rug and 200 grams of crystal meth at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Parcel Center in March 2021, according to the release.
Prosecutors say the meth-soaked rug “can be chemically extracted” for drug use.
McClatchy News contacted Williamson’s attorney for comment on Sept. 13 and was awaiting a response.
“The defendant was part of a larger international network using any means necessary to smuggle methamphetamine into Southwest Georgia; thankfully, federal agents intercepted this deadly drug before it could hit the streets,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a statement.
Methamphetamine is a stimulant responsible for nearly 17,000 overdose deaths in 2019, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On March 11, 2021, after investigators intercepted the package meant for Williamson, DEA agents arrived at his doorstep, according to the release.
Then, Williamson took a drug test at his home administered by his probation officer and failed it, prosecutors say. As a result, he was arrested.
Afterward, he told agents that an “associate” had packages mailed to his address to deliver drugs in the U.S., according to prosecutors.
While DEA agents were at Williamson’s home, he removed his phone SIM card, but investigators ultimately found it, prosecutors say.
The SIM card revealed Williamson had been texting a drug supplier saved as “Costa Chris” in his phone, according to the release. The text messages showed the pair discussing coordinated drug deliveries and deals, prosecutors say.
As part of Williamson’s sentencing scheduled for within 90 days, he also faces a $10 million fine, according to the attorney’s office.
Fitzgerald is about 185 miles southeast of Atlanta.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 12:14 PM with the headline "‘Bible gift’ at Atlanta airport was actually a meth-soaked rug, feds say."
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