Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking

Press Release

NEWNAN, Ga. - Oscar Waters has pleaded guilty to trafficking multi-kilogram quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other illegal narcotics through Georgia. His co-defendant, Keisha Jackson-Murchison pleaded guilty to the concealment of a felony.

"Fentanyl and heroin pose extraordinary dangers to public safety and have destroyed countless lives," said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. "Individuals who seek to profit from distributing these deadly drugs in and through our communities will be brought to justice through the collaborative work of our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners."

"Stopping traffickers who attempt to bring their poison into our communities is one of the most impactful missions we undertake," said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. "HSI will continue to work with our partners to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals involved with these deadly, illicit drugs."

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: On September 18, 2023, a police officer in Grantville, Georgia stopped a vehicle for speeding on Interstate 85. Keisha Jackson-Murchison, a convicted felon, was identified as the driver. Oscar Dominick Waters, a convicted drug dealer, was a passenger in the vehicle.

During an initial search of the vehicle, the officer found several bags of marijuana. As officers attempted to detain Waters for the marijuana, Jackson-Murchison retrieved a backpack and large duffel bag from the car and ran barefoot across three lanes of traffic before disappearing into a wooded area. Numerous vehicles swerved to avoid hitting Jackson-Murchison.

Coweta County, Georgia Sheriff's officers and a K-9 unit located Jackson-Murchison in the woods and found the bags she removed from her car. In addition to the marijuana, officers discovered nearly three kilograms of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue, more than 2.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, more than a quarter-kilogram of crack cocaine, and approximately five ounces of heroin. Further investigation revealed that Waters hired Jackson-Murchison to drive him to Alabama, where Waters intended to distribute the drugs.

Sentencing for Oscar Dominick Waters, 39, of Roanoke, Virginia, is scheduled for February 25, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr.

Sentencing for Keisha Jackson-Murchison, 36, of Springfield, Massachusetts, is also scheduled for February 25, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. before Judge Batten.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Grantville Police Department, Coweta County Sheriff's Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Noah R. Schechtman are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

The Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia recommends that parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following websites: www.justthinktwice.gov; www.operationprevention.com; and www.dea.gov/onepill.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

Updated November 22, 2024