WAYCROSS, Ga. (Next Stamina) – Two men were convicted in a federal jury trial for their roles in a methamphetamine trafficking operation that spanned south Georgia, according to an announcement from U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Margaret E. “Meg” Heap.

Marquan Jenkins, 31, and Christopher Hawkins, 30, both of Douglas, Georgia, were the final defendants to be prosecuted in the case of USA v. Brinson et al. The convictions followed a four-day trial in U.S. District Court in Waycross.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jenkins was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, alongside a count of distribution of more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. Jenkins faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison.

Hawkins was convicted of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine, 11 counts of distribution of a controlled substance, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Authorities noted Hawkins faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to two life sentences.

Evidence presented during the trial showed that Jenkins directed the conspiracy from inside Georgia state prisons using contraband cell phones. Trial testimony established that Jenkins has been serving a custodial sentence for robbery convictions since 2012.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated the indictment originally named 37 defendants involved in a four-year conspiracy to import and distribute illegal drugs in Coffee County and surrounding areas.

“These drug traffickers operated inside and outside Georgia’s prison system, distributing dangerous, illegal drugs throughout communities in rural Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Heap stated. She added that the verdicts confirm a commitment to the pursuit of traffickers in both big cities and small towns.

Officials detailed that Hawkins was a major distributor within the network. Of the other defendants, 35 were convicted or entered guilty pleas, with 17 already sentenced to terms up to 126 months.

FBI Senior Supervisory Resident Agent Brad Snider stated that law enforcement uncovered a network that “brazenly operated both on the streets and from inside a prison cell.”

The investigation involved the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and several local agencies including the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office and the Waycross Police Department.

U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will schedule sentencing for Jenkins and Hawkins following the completion of pre-sentence investigations.