MACON, Ga. – A Valdosta, Georgia resident is facing a maximum 20 years in prison for possessing methamphetamine with the intention to sell the deadly drug, announced Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. Joseph Fairley, 47, of Valdosta, entered a guilty plea to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell on Wednesday, April 29, 2020. The maximum prison time under federal guidelines is 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. Fairley’s sentencing has not been scheduled. There is no parole in the federal system.
Fairley was taken into custody on August 20, 2018 after fleeing a Georgia State Patrol officer during a traffic stop on I-75 in Perry, Georgia. Fairley was under surveillance at the time. During the attempted stop, Fairley accelerated and engaged in a high speed chase with the trooper. The trooper successfully utilized a P.I.T. maneuver to stop Fairley’s car. A drug dog conducted a free air sniff of the car and alerted to the presence of narcotics. Agents found a blue cooler with a loaded pistol, 56 grams of pure “ice” methamphetamine, 14 grams of cocaine and 33 grams of marijuana inside the vehicle. In addition to the drugs and firearm, the agents found a drug ledger in the trunk which contained various names and figures.
“Drug dealers caught pushing deadly poison into our communities will face maximum prosecution in the Middle District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “This case is the result of the hard work by our law enforcement partners at DEA, GBI, GSP, Bibb County Sheriff’s Office and Houston County Sheriff’s Office. I commend them for their dedicated service on the front lines of the drug war.”
