A Moultrie resident with previous felony convictions was sentenced on Mar. 5 to ten years in prison for illegally possessing firearms, following an investigation into armed drug trafficking.
Johnny Will Murray, Jr., age 41, received a sentence of 120 months in prison and three years of supervised release from Senior U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands. Murray was found guilty by a jury on Nov. 3, 2025, of one count of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Repeat offenders who illegally arm themselves, disregard the law and endanger the community will be prosecuted in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Our highest priority is to ensure justice and work alongside our law enforcement partners to strengthen public safety for everyone in the Middle District of Georgia.”
According to court documents and statements made at trial, officers from the Moultrie Police Department executed a search warrant at Murray’s home on Nov. 11, 2021, based on suspicions of armed drug trafficking. They discovered about two ounces of methamphetamine, digital scales, empty vacuum-sealed bags, and a rifle in his bedroom. A safe inside his closet contained three additional firearms, magazines, ammunition, and $5,600 in cash. Officers also found methamphetamine floating in a toilet bowl.
The case was part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to use all resources available to the Department of Justice to address illegal immigration and combat violent crime linked to cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
The investigation was conducted by the Moultrie Police Department and Colquitt County Sheriff’s Department’s Narcotics Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Daniels prosecuted the case.
