ALBANY, GA. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Criminal - Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section), published as received.

ALBANY, Ga. – A Southwest Georgia resident with a criminal record who admitted to distributing heroin resulting from an armed drug trafficking investigation was sentenced to prison for his crime.

Alexander Brown, Sr. aka “Poochie,” 48, of Albany, was sentenced to serve 120 months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release by U.S. District Judge Leslie Abrams Gardner on March 30, after he previously pleaded guilty to distribution of heroin. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Armed repeat offenders remain a high priority for our office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “I appreciate the hard work and cooperation that resulted in this conviction and sentencing.”

“The combination of drugs and guns is destructive in so many ways to our communities,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Our agents focus daily on getting repeat offenders like Brown off our streets. The FBI and the partners we work with are committed to stopping these destructive drug operations flowing through our state.”

“Illegal drugs and guns are dangerous and threaten the safety of Georgia communities. The GBI is committed to working with our partners to investigative drug and gun dealing. Thank you to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this defendant, making the Albany area safer,” said GBI Director Mike Register.

According to his plea agreement and court records, the GBI began investigating Brown in Jan. 2021 for distributing heroin; multiple recorded purchases of narcotics from Brown occurred during the course of the investigation. On Sept. 15, 2021, an undercover agent went to Brown’s apartment on Maryland Drive in Albany. Brown offered to get the agent fully automatic AR-15 rifles, which he described as ghost guns without serial numbers. Brown also sold the agent heroin. On Oct. 14, 2021, GBI and FBI agents purchased a rifle from Brown at a residence on Askew Drive in Dawson, Georgia. A search warrant of the Askew Drive residence was executed on Nov. 2, 2021. Agents recovered heroin, methamphetamine and fentanyl, in addition to drug distribution paraphernalia and $12,000. Brown has a criminal history with convictions in Dougherty County, Georgia, Superior Court, including a conviction for possession with intent to distribute oxycodone.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by GBI and FBI.

Criminal Chief Leah McEwen prosecuted the case for the Government.