Frank Settambrino, 63, of Covington, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine before U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell Monday.
Settambrino faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a $1 million fine. Sentencing is scheduled for July 6. There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary of the Middle District of Georgia said, “The defendant was supplying a consistent and significant quantity of methamphetamine to Monroe County and the surrounding communities.
“Those individuals who profit by pushing large amounts of illegal and deadly drugs into the Middle District of Georgia face the possibility of federal prosecution for their criminal activities. I want to thank the DEA and both the Monroe and Newton County sheriff’s offices for shutting down this methamphetamine supply chain.”
“The by-products of ‘meth’ after its manufacture leave behind a dangerous and toxic trail of waste,” said Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy.
“DEA and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting citizens from these dangers by disrupting, dismantling and destroying those who traffic these toxic chemicals. Now that this defendant has been removed from the streets, the Middle Georgia community is a safer place.”
An ongoing investigation into methamphetamine distribution activities by Monroe County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigators revealed that Settambrino was supplying methamphetamine to a dealer in the region, according to court documents and other evidence.
Between September 2020 and January 2021, the DEA and the MCSO coordinated a series of five audio and video recorded controlled purchases of methamphetamine involving Settambrino. A federal search warrant was executed at Settambrino’s residence on Jan. 14, 2021, where agents located more than one kilo of methamphetamine and other drug paraphernalia scattered throughout his home, the news release stated.
The case was investigated by DEA with assistance from the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and the Newton County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kalim is prosecuting the case for the government.
