ALBANY, Georgia – Two residents of Lee County, Georgia have pleaded guilty to federal charges of armed methamphetamine trafficking in the community.
Savanna Brook Fore, 23, of Leesburg, Georgia, pleaded guilty today to one count of distributing methamphetamine. Fore faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. Co-defendant Matthew Cory Tucker, 35, of Leesburg, pleaded guilty June 7 to a count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Tucker faces a maximum sentence of ten years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. US District Judge Leslie Gardner is presiding over this case. A conviction of both defendants is not planned.
“Repeat violent offenders and others who commit crimes that threaten the peace and security of our communities will be held accountable for their poor decisions,” said US Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Bringing armed drug traffickers and violent criminals to justice is the result of the hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners at the local, state and federal levels.”
“Toxic drugs continue to pour into our communities and claim too many lives,” said Robert J. Murphy, senior special agent in charge of the DEA’s Atlanta branch. “These people now have to deal with the consequences of their actions.”
“These guilty pleas demonstrate our commitment to holding accountable those involved in drug trafficking and endangering the safety of our communities. We recognize the hard work and dedication of our local and state law enforcement partners in bringing these offenders to justice,” said GBI Director Mike Register.
“It takes continued and dedicated teamwork to remove repeat offenders from our streets and hold them accountable for their crimes. This case is another example of local, state and federal law enforcement working together to protect citizens,” said Reggie Rachals, Lee County Sheriff.
According to court documents, officers with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) pulled over a truck driven by Fore at around 1:10 am on June 2, 2022; Tucker was a passenger. Tucker was covered in blood and officers found a gun and drugs near the center console. Tucker was wanted for an alleged domestic assault that occurred earlier that night. Inside the truck, officers found a .38 caliber handgun and a .20 caliber shotgun that Tucker had taken from the victim of the domestic assault. Tucker has previously been convicted of felonies in Lee County Superior Court, including aggravated assault and theft. It is illegal for a convicted felon to own firearms.
On the back floorboard of the truck, officers found a purple book bag with another smaller red bag attached. Fore said they were hers; Inside the bags, officers found 47 bags totaling 48 grams of methamphetamine, additional bags containing various illegal controlled substances, and a digital scale. Fore had a gun hidden in her waistband.
When he was released from prison on bail, officers learned that Fore continued to distribute narcotics at a local motel and at a family’s home. GBI and DEA agents, working in conjunction with Confidential Information (CI), made three separate purchases of illegal drugs from Fore, including methamphetamine. Police issued a search warrant at Fore’s family’s home on August 3, 2022 and confiscated their cell phone, which revealed conversations between Fore and others about drug deals.
This case is being followed at the federal, state and local levels as part of the joint Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program, the core of the Department of Justice’s efforts to reduce violent crime. PSN is an evidence-based program that has been shown to be effective in reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a wide range of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses its enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and works with local prevention and rehabilitation programs to permanently reduce crime.
This case was investigated by the DEA, GBI, LCSO and the Leesburg Police Department.
Assistant US Attorney Matt Redavid is leading the case for the government.
