Middle Georgia bartender pleads guilty to trafficking meth, fentanyl

Federal prosecutors said a 21-year-old bartender from Tifton pleaded guilty to distributing meth and fentanyl from Los Angeles to Georgia. 

Edgar Fernando Neri, also known as "Colocho," pleaded guilty to distribution of methamphetamine on June 21 and faces a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a maximum $1,000,000 fine. He'll be sentenced in September. 

Prosecutors said a confidential source told the Georgia Bureau of Investigation they were purchasing from a local bartender known as "Colocho." Prosecutors said Neri discussed distributing methamphetamine, multiple kilos of cocaine and buying body armor, rifles, a rocket launcher and rockets with his supplier in California.

Investigators arranged for controlled purchases of methamphetamine from Neri who also coordinated shipments. Investigators found three pounds of methamphetamine and 1,990 blue fentanyl pills came from L.A. to Tifton in Oct. 2021,. and law enforcement arrested Neri was taken into custody on Oct. 19, 2021. 

"This defendant posed a clear and present danger to the Tifton community by dealing in dangerous drugs, including discussions of firearms trafficking," DEA Special Agent Robert J. Murphy said. "Thanks to collaborative partnerships between the DEA and its law enforcement partners, this defendant no longer poses a threat to Tifton and elsewhere."