Armed Atlanta drug dealer sentenced for trafficking multiple narcotics

Omari A. Nicks, previously convicted of cocaine trafficking, has been sentenced to 12 and a half years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and fentanyl from his Atlanta apartment while illegally possessing a loaded AR-style rifle.

“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.”

Court documents show that in January 2025, Nicks was selling methamphetamine and fentanyl from his Atlanta apartment complex to customers from areas including Bartow County. On February 6, 2025, DEA agents observed Nicks selling these substances and later searched his apartment. During the search, Nicks tried to escape by climbing out a third-story window but fell off the building and was arrested.

Agents found about two kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of cocaine, 50 grams of fentanyl, a hydraulic press for forming powdered drugs into bricks, approximately $5,400 in cash, and an AR-15 style rifle loaded with a 30-round magazine inside the apartment. Authorities also recovered about 100 grams of heroin discarded by Nicks’s co-conspirator during the raid.

United States District Judge Eleanor L. Ross sentenced Nicks—age 47 and from Smyrna—to twelve years and six months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on April 8, 2025, to conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute as well as possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), 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 led by the Department of Justice designed to combat illegal immigration issues as well as dismantle cartels and transnational criminal organizations through coordinated efforts like Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN). More information about OCDETF can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

For additional details or media inquiries regarding this case or related topics involving the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia: http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.