Albany Man Sentenced To 40 Years For Armed Narcotics Trafficking
Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 8:45 A.M. ET. 3 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,
ALBANY, GA.- Last Friday, a 46-year-old Southwest Georgia man learned that he would probably end up dying in federal prison after he was sentenced for distributing kilogram quantities of deadly fentanyl throughout the Albany, Georgia area while illegally possessing a firearm.
On Friday, January 3, 2025, Larry Roger Sparks, Jr., 46, of Albany, Georgia, appeared in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia and was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leslie A Gardner to 480 months in federal prison, to be followed by ten years of supervised release for his previously entered guilty pleas to federal narcotics and firearms crimes.
Sparks Enters Guilty Pleas
According to U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary, Sparks previously pleaded guilty to one count of Distribution of a Mixture of Heroin and Fentanyl; one count of Distribution of Methamphetamine; three counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine from a Premise where a Minor Child was Present; one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine from a Premise where a Minor Child was Present; one count of Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl; and one count of Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
GBI Agents Launch Investigation
According to documents filed with the District Court, in 2023, members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation launched an undercover investigation into armed narcotics trafficking throughout Southwest Georgia. During the investigation, agents identified Sparks as a major distributor of fentanyl, heroin, and methamphetamine, who was distributing the illicit narcotics from his Albany residence, where three minor children resided with him.
During the investigation, a confidential informant made five controlled buys from Sparks under the observation of agents, and each of those controlled buys were recorded by law enforcement agents, beginning on March 9, 2023, and ending with the final undercover purchase on May 3, 2023, when Sparks sold 478.2 grams of 98% pure methamphetamine.
Following the controlled buy, on May 16, 2023, agents obtained and executed a court-authorized search of Sparks’ residence on Pinecrest Drive in the City of Albany. As agents approached the residence, three suspected drug customers who were in the yard fled, and one of the individuals discarded a bag containing a small quantity of a mixture of fentanyl and heroin.
During the search, agents uncovered and seized 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl, around 3 kilograms of methamphetamine, syringes, digital scales, Narcan, U.S. currency in denominations consistent with narcotics distribution, and other items of drug paraphernalia. Agents also recovered six firearms, including a Sig Sauer 9mm handgun.
Sparks was taken into custody on May 16, 2023, during a traffic stop, where agents found a loaded Glock 10mm semi-automatic handgun, a loaded 50-round ammunition drum magazine, a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and more than $5,000 in U.S. currency. During questioning and after waving his rights, Sparks freely admitted to receiving a four-kilogram shipment of fentanyl before the search, and stated that he had sold all of it less the 1.2 kilograms recovered during the search.
Sparks has an extensive criminal history, including conviction of armed robbery and delivery of a controlled substance in Saginaw, Michigan, as well as other convictions in the Superior Court of Crisp County, Georgia.
“Fentanyl and guns are a dangerous combination which will not be tolerated by this office or our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary. “Repeat armed drug traffickers will be held accountable for committing crimes which wreck the peace and safety of a community.”
“Drug traffickers are poisoning our communities with drugs like fentanyl,” said GBI Director Chris Hosey. “This case serves as an example of our continued efforts to stop drug traffickers who ruthlessly target Georgia communities. The GBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue working toward ridding our state of these deadly drugs.”
