MACON — United States Attorney G. F. “Pete” Peterman III announces that Carlton M. Butler, 36, of Montezuma was sentenced to serve 30 years (360 months) in federal prison for distribution of crack cocaine and using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to his drug trafficking crime. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Marc T. Treadwell on March 31 in Macon.
Through his plea, Butler admitted to selling a 9mm semiautomatic pistol and a quantity of crack cocaine to a confidential informant on May 28, 2014. At the time of the sale, Butler was a convicted felon on parole in two separate, state drug trafficking cases and was therefore prohibited from possessing any firearm. At the time of his plea, Butler also admitted that prior to his federal case, he had three previous convictions for drug trafficking crimes in the state of Georgia.
“Carlton Butler is the exact type of armed career drug dealer that our federal statutes are designed to put out of business. As with all federal sentences, there is no parole available to him as he does his 30 years of “hard time” in a United States Penitentiary. At least for the next three decades, the citizens and children of the Micldle District of Georgia will be safe from Butler and the poisons he sells,” said U.S.  Attorney Peterman.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, through lead agent Brian Queener, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, through lead agent Shannon McCook, and additional assistance from the Montezuma Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Shanelle Booker prosecuted the case for the United States.