Two men from Waycross received lengthy prison terms and a third was indicted earlier this month during proceedings in the judicial system of the Southern District of Georgia.
Ernest Goodman, 44, of Waycross, and Herlindo Perez-Barajas, a/k/a “Jose Flores Garcia,” a/k/a “Primo,” 50, an illegal alien living in Waycross, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Lisa Godbey Wood for earlier drugrelated convictions, U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap announced.
Taeshawn Jaquize White, 23, of Waycross, was among a group of suspects who were indicted during the October term of the district’s grand jury, Heap said. White was indicted for Theft of a Firearm from a Federal Firearms Licensee.
Criminal indictments contain only charges, and defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Goodman and Herlindo Perez-Barajas were among the defendants in five separate cases issued a total of 870 months’ worth of prison sentences October 7 in Waycross.
Goodman received 212 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute Cocaine, Marijuana, Oxycodone, and Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon. Goodman was subjected to enhanced penalties due to his designation as an Armed Career Criminal.
As described in court documents and testimony, Goodman was part of a wide-ranging drug trafficking conspiracy spanning Coffee, Atkinson, Ware, and Bacon counties. The defendants participated in a conspiracy to import and distribute large amounts of illegal drugs in the Douglas community and in surrounding counties during a roughly four-year period from early 2021 through the time of the indictment.
Herlindo Perez-Barajas was sentenced to 120 months in prison followed by immediate deportation after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute more than 50 grams of Methamphetamine.
According to court documents and testimony, during an October 2024 traffic stop by Georgia State Patrol, Perez-Barajas was discovered with more than 50 grams of methamphetamine. After the illegal narcotics were found, troopers referred the defendant to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement due to his illegal immigration status. Much of the conspiracy was directed from inside Georgia state prisons using contraband cell phones, and the probe included seizure of 21 illegal firearms.
Two others in the conspiracy from Douglas — Christopher Hawkins, a/k/a “Rayshon Hawkins,” 31, and Aaron Kahn, 5o, — also were sentenced in the case.
The Ware County Sheriff’s Office and Waycross Police Department were among the law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation illegal drug ring.
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