Last Defendant in South Georgia Major Drug Trafficking Ring Convicted on Multiple Charges
Blake K. Screen, 36, of Brunswick, has been convicted on all charges after a two-day jury trial. Screen was found guilty of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl, and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, according to Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Screen faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison, substantial financial penalties, and a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
Screen was the final defendant in Operation Ghost Busted, a major drug trafficking investigation involving 76 defendants. The indictment, unsealed in January 2023, revealed a conspiracy distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin, and alprazolam in the Glynn County area.
Investigators from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, along with local and state agencies, identified the drug trafficking network, which operated inside and outside Georgia prisons with ties to the Ghost Face Gangsters and other gangs.
During the trial, evidence showed Screen used text and Facebook messages to coordinate drug trafficking activities with other members, including inmates. Investigators found over 65 doses of fentanyl in Screen’s possession at the time of his arrest.
Of the 75 defendants from Operation Ghost Busted, 70 have been sentenced, and four are awaiting sentencing. One defendant died before trial. Judge Lisa Godbey Wood will schedule Screen’s sentencing following a pre-sentence investigation.
Operation Ghost Busted, the largest drug trafficking prosecution in the Southern District of Georgia’s history, was led by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). The investigation involved multiple federal, state, and local agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland, L. Alexander Hamner, and Deputy Chief E. Greg Gilluly Jr.
