Newton County Man Sentenced to 90 Years Without Parole for Major Drug Trafficking

NEWTON COUNTY, GA — A Newton County jury has found Loyd Freeman Avant III guilty of trafficking heroin, trafficking methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute carfentanil after a DEA investigation uncovered a large-scale drug operation at his home on Highway 212.

During a search of Avant’s residence, agents discovered over 150 grams of methamphetamine, 163 grams of heroin, and 865 grams (nearly a kilogram) of carfentanil, a synthetic opioid 10,000 times more potent than morphine. Agents also seized multiple firearms, more than $70,000 in cash, digital scales, and drug ledgers.

Avant, who represented himself at trial, admitted to agents that the drugs, money, and paraphernalia were his. He also told investigators that he had sent a juvenile to deliver drugs to a customer and that they would have found even more narcotics if they had searched the home on another day.

After less than five minutes of jury deliberation, Avant was convicted on all counts. During sentencing, prosecutors highlighted his three prior felony convictions and the extreme danger posed by carfentanil, which is sometimes mixed into street drugs without users’ knowledge.

Superior Court Judge Morris sentenced Avant to 90 years in prison without parole and imposed $800,000 in fines, the maximum penalties allowed under Georgia law.

District Attorney Randy McGinley praised the verdict and sentence, saying,

“This verdict and sentence should be an example to those that attempt to make a living by selling poison in our communities. The amount of harm that these drugs inflict every day throughout our country cannot be overstated.”

The case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief ADA Jennifer Brooks, Investigator Danny Peppers, Trial Assistant Danielle Miller, and Legal Assistant Sheila Cornelius, with support from the DEA and federal chemists who traveled to testify despite a government shutdown.