BRUNSWICK, Ga. - Two Brunswick men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a drug distribution scheme involving synthetic cathinone coordinated through Facebook Messenger.


U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood sentenced 54-year-old Alen Addison to 82 months in prison and a $1,500 fine, while co-defendant Minus Tyler, 45, received a sentence of 48 months in prison.

According to court documents and testimony, Addison and Tyler conspired to distribute cathinone in Glynn County from April 2023 through August 2023. Federal officials said the defendants used Facebook Messenger to negotiate and arrange the sales. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

Margaret E.  Meg  Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, announced the sentences following the multi-agency law enforcement investigation.


 Synthetic substances like cathinone are a real threat to communities,  Heap said.  This investigation was the result of intuitive law enforcement that succeeded in identifying the pathway of these illicit drugs, tracing it to the distributor and resulted in this prosecution and protecting our citizens from these dangerous substances. 

Addison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute substituted cathinone. Following his 82-month prison sentence, he will serve three years of supervised release.

Tyler pleaded guilty to use of a communication facility and will serve one year of supervised release after completing his 48-month sentence. Multiple agencies participated in the investigation, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Glynn County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. Harper III and Jennifer J. Kirkland prosecuted the case on behalf of the federal government. Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, highlighted the multi-agency coordination during the operation.

 The outcome of this case 

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