James NeSmith, Operation Ghost Busted, Georgia 2024
BRUNSWICK, GA - In a major blow to the Ghost Face Gangsters, a leader in the Operation Ghost Busted conspiracy has been sentenced to life in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges brought in the largest-ever indictment in the Southern District of Georgia.
James D. NeSmith, 26, an inmate serving life in prison for murder at Telfair State Prison, was sentenced to a consecutive term of life in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
NeSmith's federal sentence would begin if he is released from state custody, and U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ordered that he would be housed at a facility no less than 500 miles from his Brunswick residence.
“James NeSmith's sentence and others in this case represent significant milestones in this effort to dismantle a major drug trafficking operation in south Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to disrupt traffickers as they distribute deadly, addictive drugs and endanger the safety of our communities and prison facilities.”
Operation Ghost Busted, unsealed in January as USA v. Alvarez et al., charged 76 defendants with involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy – linked to the white supremacist Ghost Face Gangsters – that distributed large amounts of high-grade methamphetamine, along with fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in the greater Glynn County area. Nearly 70 of the defendants have been sentenced or await sentencing after entering guilty pleas in U.S. District Court, while the remainder await further court proceedings and are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Key figures adjudicated in Operation Ghost Busted include:
James D. NeSmith, a/k/a “DG,” 26, an inmate serving life in prison for murder at Telfair State Prison, sentenced to a consecutive term of life in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine (Life in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
Desiree M. Briley, 26, of McRae-Helena, Ga., sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Methamphetamine (18 months in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
John E. Harrison, 26, of Brunswick, sentenced to 190 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine (190 months in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
Charles W. Walrath, a/k/a “Boomer,” 52, of Brunswick, sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl (144 months in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
Clinton Taylor, 34, of Brunswick, sentenced to 105 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (105 months in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
Marissa D. Davis, 32, of Brunswick, sentenced to 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl (97 months in prison, Brunswick, GA - 2024).
For more than two years, investigators from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff's Office, and the Camden County Sheriff's Office collaborated with multiple federal, state and local agencies to identify a sprawling drug trafficking network operating in multiple south Georgia counties. The network operated inside and outside Georgia prisons, coordinated by members of the Ghost Face Gangsters working with affiliates of other criminal street gangs including the Aryan Brotherhood, Bloods, and Gangster Disciples.
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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