Following a decisive two-day jury trial, Blake K. Screen, the last of a group involved in a large-scale drug trafficking ring, has been found guilty on numerous charges. As noted by U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, Jill E. Steinberg, Screen, 36, from Brunswick, could face up to 20 years behind bars for Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. In an outcome reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, substantial financial penalties and supervised release will also likely follow any prison sentence, with no option for parole within the federal system.
Steinberg hailed the conviction as a "milestone" in the overarching investigation, dubbed Operation Ghost Busted, which saw 76 defendants linked to the Ghost Face Gangsters and various other criminal street gangs. An indictment unsealed in January 2023 pulled the curtain back on a sweeping drug distribution network trafficking methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam across Greater Glynn County. Based on information from the Department of Justice, Screen was one of those 76 defendants indicted in the case.
The investigation spanned over two years, incorporating resources and intel from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, several Georgia Sheriff's Offices, and multiple state and local agencies. Task forces sifted through a web of communication, discovering that Screen and his associates—from within Georgia state prisons and out—managed their illegal drug operations via texts and Facebook messages, highlighting the pervasive influence technology has in contemporary criminal activities.
During the trial presided over by U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood, evidence revealed Screen's involvement in the shipment and sale of significant quantities of illegal narcotics. According to the Department of Justice, more than 65 doses of the deadly synthetic opioid fentanyl were found in his possession at the time of arrest. Of the defendants in Operation Ghost Busted, 70 have already been sentenced, four are awaiting sentencing after guilty pleas, and one defendant died before the trial could begin.
As unparalleled in scope in its district, Operation Ghost Busted stands as testament to the unwavering efforts under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program. This multi-agency, intelligence-driven initiative aims to identify, disrupt, and dismantle high-threat criminal organizations menacing the United States. The FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, various Sheriff’s Offices, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were just a few of the agencies involved in bringing down this complex drug network.
