An Acworth man — who made the mistake of reaching out to a Jones County undercover drug investigator last fall — will be spending the next 15 years in prison.
Christian Orlando Gonzalez entered a guilty plea June 5 in Jones County Superior Court and received a total sentence of 25 years with 15 years in confinement for trafficking methamphetamine.
The breakdown of the sentence is 10 years for the possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute and 25 years for the lesser-included offense of Tier 2 trafficking of methamphetamine.
The sentence also includes a $1 million fine.
In a News story about Gonzalez’s Sept. 30, 2024, arrest, Jones County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Barron Hall said he was working the undercover investigation for a few weeks when Gonzalez actually reached out to him. Hall said he was aware of Gonzalez from a previous undercover investigation.
The investigator said Gonzalez apparently thought he remembered Hall as someone in the market for drugs. Hall said the dealer wanted to sell him drugs, and they set a time to meet in a parking lot on Highway 49.
Hall said he was not familiar with the vehicle Gonzalez drove but saw only one other car in the lot. The officer went to the meet alone, but other units were close by.
“He called me and said he was here, so that had to be him,” Hall said.
The deputy said they exchanged greetings and were quickly surrounded by other officers. Hall said Gonzalez stepped on the gas and attempted to flee but was caught after a short pursuit.
“The suspect was taken into custody without incident,” Hall said.
He added that Gonzalez was found in the possession of one kilogram of methamphetamine and approximately a half pound of marijuana.
