A Lee County man with a history of drug offenses has been slapped with a prison sentence of over 23 years for distributing meth and fentanyl, authorities announced yesterday. Brian Chadwick Jeffcoat, 40, of Leesburg, was hit with a hefty 286-month stretch behind bars on May 23, following a slippery slope back into the drug trade shortly after his release, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Despite being under the watchful eye of federal supervised release and state probation, Jeffcoat couldn't shake old habits. Court documents revealed that he was out of prison just days when he was suspected of jumping right back into pushing drugs in the community. Police got the drop on him after a tip-off in April 2023, which led to his downfall and eventual sentencing this week.
U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary condemned the destructive influence of drug traffickers. According to Jeffcoat's case details, the convicted man was involved in a heart-wrenching scenario where a concerned citizen reported that a woman, heavily pregnant with Jeffcoat's child, was abusing drugs. "This case is a tragedy on many levels and we appreciate the willingness of a concerned citizen to speak up," Leary stated, as per the Department of Justice.
Adding to the chorus of disapproval toward such crimes, DEA Special Agent in Charge Robert J. Murphy emphasized their stance on the issue. While he was supposed to be making a drug sale, Jeffcoat was nabbed with fentanyl and meth stashed in his vehicle. "Our communities remain under attack by criminal drug trafficking organizations with no regard for the harm and destruction they cause," Murphy said, as Jeffcoat's girlfriend, who had shot up with heroin and fentanyl after of the birth of their baby, spilled the beans.
Justice was served with cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies. The DEA, alongside local experts from the Lee County Sheriff's Office and the GBI, built the case leading to Jeffcoat's sentencing. His supervised release, granted after his initial 70-month sting for drug distribution, has been pulled in addition to the fresh prison time he now faces.
