Georgia man pleads guilty in meth-soaked rug case

A Southwest Georgia man has pleaded guilty to drug charges after federal agents discovered a methamphetamine-soaked rug and packages of crystal methamphetamine at the Atlanta airport. Chad Williamson, 42, of Fitzgerald, pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute in federal court in Albany. He faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison up to a maximum of life behind bars and a $10 million fine. According to court documents, two packages containing methamphetamine and addressed to Williamson were intercepted by agents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The packages had been shipped from Mexico.

One of the boxes contained a methamphetamine- soaked rug, which can be chemically extracted for use. The packages also contained more than 200 grams of crystal meth.

“The defendant was part of a larger international network using any means necessary to smuggle methamphetamine into Southwest Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said Tuesday. “Thankfully, federal agents intercepted this deadly drug before it could hit the streets.”

Agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration raided Williamson’s residence in March of last year after he had removed the SIM card from his cellphone to hide its contents. After Williamson failed a drug test, he was arrested and later admitted that his address was being used for drug deliveries. The SIM card was located, and a download of the phone revealed an ongoing relationship between Williamson and a drug supply source.

Williamson will be sentenced within 90 days.

This story is available through a news partnership with Capitol Beat News Service, a project of the Georgia Press Educational Foundation.