Defendant gets prison for Burke County cocaine pipeline

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - An Atlanta-area man has been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a conspiracy that funneled cocaine and other drugs through Atlanta to the Waynesboro area.

Chadric Antonio Rhaney, 42, of Powder Springs, was sentenced to 88 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, cocaine, according to federal prosecutors.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Rhaney to forfeit $68,610 seized during the investigation.

So-called Operation Washout was launched after the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration learned about cocaine coming from Mexico through California to Atlanta, and then primarily to distributors in Burke County.

Investigators from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office worked with the DEA to identify suspects, leading to searches and seizures of cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, drug trafficking paraphernalia, cash and more than two dozen firearms.

In addition to Rhaney, who was identified as the source of cocaine coming into the Burke County area from Atlanta, two other defendants have been sentenced and four await sentencing after pleading guilty. The final two defendants are awaiting trial.

Agencies investigating Operation Washout include the DEA and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Probation Service; U.S. Marshals Service; Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force; Screven County Sheriff’s Office; McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; Columbia County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.

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