A Guyton man was sentenced Thursday in Federal District Court in Savannah to more than 10 years in prison for his role in a methamphetamine trafficking scheme.
According to a release from the Southern District of Georgia, Department of Justice, the sentence signals the end of a prosecution that saw nearly three dozen defendants sent to prison after pleading guilty in a major methamphetamine trafficking operation.
William Hamilton, a/k/a “Hambone,” 42, of Guyton was sentenced to 126 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
“Our law enforcement partners built Operation Stranded Bandit on the foundation of prior investigations dismantling a network of drug traffickers operating inside and outside prisons to bring large quantities of methamphetamine to coastal Georgia,” said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. “Getting gun-carrying drug traffickers off our streets, particularly those with gang affiliations, is a vital part of protecting our communities from violent crime.”
The case was investigated by agencies including the Effingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office, the Richmond Hill Police Department, the ATF, the DEA, the GBI, and the Savannah-Chatham Counter Narcotics Team.
In addition to Hamilton, Michael Brandon Sharpe, 46, of Pembroke was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Also, Kristin Sheppard, a/k/a “Kristin Shine,” a/k/a “K Shine,” 32, of Savannah, was sentenced 111 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine.
Sharpe and Sheppard admitted to serving as a methamphetamine couriers and dealers, while Hamilton served as an armed bodyguard for other drug couriers. All three defendants have multiple prior felony convictions involving drugs.
There is no parole in the federal system.
Sheppard, Sharpe and Hamilton were among 35 defendants indicted in USA v. Baker et. al, dubbed Operation Stranded Bandit. Unsealed in December 2020, the indictment describes an investigation that grew from other major gang-related drug trafficking prosecutions in Operation Vanilla Gorilla and Operation Who’s Laughing Now, and targeted conspiracies to import illegal drugs from Mexico and route them through Atlanta and into the greater Savannah area.
The investigations and prosecutions, coordinated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), determined that multiple criminal street gangs, including the Ghost Face Gangsters, collaborated from inside and outside prisons using contraband cell phones to arrange drug transportation, delivery and distribution throughout coastal Georgia.
Of the 35 defendants indicted in Operation Stranded Bandit, 34 pled guilty and were sentenced to terms of incarceration of up to 292 months in prison, while one defendant’s case was transferred to state court.
