Georgia man pleads guilty after meth-soaked rug found at airport

A southwest Georgia man could face up to life in prison after a methamphetamine-soaked rug disguised as a religious item was intercepted at the Atlanta airport last year.

Chad Williamson, 42, of Fitzgerald, pleaded guilty last week to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison, with a possible maximum sentence of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

In March 2021, Homeland Security Investigations agents found two packages containing the rug soaked with nearly two kilograms of meth and crystal meth addressed to Williamson, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office news release. The packages had been shipped from Naucalpan de Juarez, Mexico, and were marked as “religious image and/or Bible gift.”

The meth soaked into the rug could have been chemically extracted for use, the news release stated.

Shortly after discovering the packages, Drug Enforcement Administration agents went to Williamson’s house. He was already on probation and had removed the SIM card from his phone in an attempt to hide evidence, according to the release. He was arrested after failing a drug test and later admitted to agents that an associate used his address for drug deliveries.

The SIM card was eventually located, and a download of its contents showed a number of messages exchanged between Williamson and the source of the supply, whose contact information was saved as “Costa Chris,” prosecutors said.

The messages revealed an ongoing relationship between the two regarding illegal drug deliveries requiring tracking and other drug deals, the release states

Of the methamphetamine found in the packages, 459 grams were determined to be 98% pure.

“The defendant was part of a larger international network using any means necessary to smuggle methamphetamine into southwest Georgia; thankfully, federal agents intercepted this deadly drug before it could hit the streets,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a statement. “Law enforcement at every level is working to hold high-volume drug smugglers accountable for their activities, which gravely harm our communities by feeding addiction.”

Williamson is expected to be sentenced within 90 days.