A Rome-area fentanyl dealer has been handed a federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge related to the drug's distribution. Deaja Simone Clemons, 29, of Rome, Ga., has been sentenced to 63 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for her role in distributing fentanyl, according to a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr., highlighted the case's significance and the collaboration between law enforcement agencies. "Clemons sold thousands of fentanyl pills at a time that the illegal distribution and use of this drug, was continuing to ravage communities within and outside our district," Moultrie said. The conviction comes amidst a multi-agency effort to combat the fentanyl crisis in northwest Georgia spearheaded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strategic Initiative.
The investigation into Clemons' activities began in February 2024, when the DEA's Rome Field Office received a tip about her fentanyl dealings. A subsequent probe revealed she had sold 121 blue pills marked with M30—counterfeit pills designed to mimic oxycodone 30 mg pills—but contained fentanyl. Clemons was found to have conducted her drug sales not just in Rome, but also in Cedartown, Georgia. In April 2024, law enforcement followed Clemons and during a car search discovered more counterfeit pills and cash, leading to her arrest.
Following her December 13, 2024, guilty plea before United States District Judge William M. Ray, II, Clemons faced her sentence. Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division, remarked on the damage caused by drugs like fentanyl. "Illicit drugs like fentanyl has destroyed countless lives," Chung commented. "Keeping our communities safe is our highest priority," as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case was a collaborative investigation effort, involving the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Atlanta-Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (AC-HIDTA), and the Polk County Police Department, with Assistant United States Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III and Calvin A. Leipold, III prosecuting. For those seeking to report drug sales/trafficking, contact information for the GBI and DEA's Atlanta Division Office, along with online tip submission options, are provided in the U.S. Attorney's Office statement. Furthermore, the office urges both parents and children to educate themselves about the dangers of fentanyl and other drugs through several recommended websites.
