A superior court judge sentenced a Toccoa man to 20 years in prison, with 12 to serve, after he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking.
34-year-old Demetrius Sanchez Smith was scheduled to go on trial in Stephens County Superior Court on Monday, September 18. Prosecutors say he entered his guilty plea before a jury was empaneled.
Grand jurors indicted Smith on seven counts in January. He was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine and cocaine and two counts of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act after entering his guilty plea.
According to the indictments, the charges stem from several incidents that occurred in February 2022. The indictments tied Smith to the Bloods criminal street gang.
The case was handled by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Region Eight Field Office, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Gang Task Force, and the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office. They were assisted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force.
In 2021, Smith was tried and acquitted of murder in the death of Joel Keshon Green. Following his acquittal, he was released from custody in October 2021 and re-arrested on the trafficking four months later.
Mountain Judicial Circuit Chief Assistant District Attorney Suzanne Boykin represented the State in the drug trafficking case. Assistant DA Rebecca James assisted.
