Gwinnett Man Sentenced to 35 Years for Trafficking Cocaine

Richard Rumbo, a 31 year old man, in Gwinnett County has been arrested, convicted, and sentenced to 35 years of prison time for trafficking several different types of serious drugs in Georgia.

Rumbo was arrested in October 2016 after the US Department of Homeland Security got a tip. Agents joined the Gwinnett Metro Task Force to aid in the investigation of Rumbo as well as his arrest. According to reports, Rumbo was moving kilograms of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine out of two different residential buildings in Lawrenceville and Duluth.

Rumbo and his co-defendants were convicted of trafficking charges. Rumbo was sentenced last week to 35 years.

As a Georgia Criminal Defense Lawyer, I will outline the offense of trafficking cocaine in today's post. Trafficking any drug in the state of Georgia is handled very seriously. However, each narcotic is treated differently by the law.

Trafficking Cocaine in Georgia

Trafficking cocaine in Georgia is defined by Georgia Law in O.C.G.A. §16-13-31 as:

When a person sells, manufactures, grows, delivers, or brings into this state, or who is in possession of 28 grams or more of cocaine or of any mixture with a purity of 10 percent or more of cocaine.

Trafficking cocaine is the most serious of cocaine crimes (possession of cocaine in Georgia, etc.). As you can see from the law, the cocaine offense is based off of the amount of cocaine. The same goes for different levels of punishment with a trafficking cocaine conviction.

The penalty for a trafficking cocaine conviction directly coincides with the amount of cocaine seized at the time of the charge. If there is 28 grams or more involved, but less than 200 grams, the penalty will be a mandatory prison term of at least ten years and a fine of $200,000.00. An amount of cocaine between 200 grams and 400 grams will receive the consequence of a mandatory prison sentence of at least fifteen years and a fine of $350,000.00.  For any amount of cocaine above 400 grams, the penalty is a mandatory prison term of at least twenty-five years with a fine of $1 million. No matter how much cocaine was seized, the crime for trafficking cocaine will be a felony conviction. 

Practice Note

If you or a loved one has been arrested for a drug offense in Georgia, contact our offices today. We are dedicated to being accessible to their clients while working hard on their behalf.

We will make sure you understand all of your options and what is going on with your case every step of the way. Contact us now.