Omari A. Nicks, a convicted drug trafficker from Smyrna, Georgia, has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges related to trafficking methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl while illegally possessing a loaded AR-style rifle. The sentencing was handed down by United States District Judge Eleanor L. Ross and includes five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Authorities say that in January 2025, Nicks was distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl from his Atlanta apartment to customers who traveled from locations as far as Bartow County. On February 6, 2025, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) searched his apartment after observing him sell drugs. During the search, Nicks attempted to escape by climbing out of a third-story window but fell and was apprehended.
Inside the apartment, law enforcement found about two kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of cocaine, 50 grams of fentanyl, roughly $5,400 in cash, a hydraulic press used for compressing powdered drugs into bricks, and an AR-15 style rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine. Officers also recovered approximately 100 grams of heroin that had been discarded by a co-conspirator during the raid.
“Nicks is a serial drug trafficker who posed a serious threat to public safety by dealing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs while armed with a loaded, high-powered rifle that he was not allowed to have,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Nicks’s sentence is just one more example of the positive, collaborative impact that law enforcement partners in north Georgia achieve in our communities.”
“When criminals mix deadly drugs with guns, the danger is magnified,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “This sentence makes clear they will be held accountable.”
“Bartow County continues to aggressively target those who sell fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in our community,” said Major Mark Mayton of the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force. “We will continue to work with our partners to identify and arrest those people who are furthering the fentanyl crisis.”
“The Cartersville Police Department takes great pride in working with our federal law enforcement partners, especially when our collaboration results in holding criminals accountable who bring dangerous weapons and drugs into our community,” said Chief Frank McCann of the Cartersville Police Department. “By continuing these partnerships, our goal is to make it clear to all criminal organizations that the City of Cartersville will not be a haven for your illicit activity.”
The case was investigated by multiple agencies including the DEA https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF , Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force, and Cartersville Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Calvin A. Leipold III and Thomas M. Forsyth III prosecuted this case.
This prosecution falls under Operation Take Back America—a national initiative using resources from both Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)—which aims to disrupt major criminal organizations threatening communities across the United States through coordinated efforts among federal agencies.