The Justice Department said a federal jury in Atlanta convicted Roderick Battle, 49, on November 3 of conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin, along with money laundering and firearms charges. Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said Battle led a multistate operation that “flooded communities across the country with dangerous narcotics.” Sentencing is set for March 2, 2027, before U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee.

According to U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg and evidence presented in court, Battle and his conspirators hid drugs and drug money inside guitar amplifiers from at least January 2021 through December 2024. They shipped the packages across the country using a stolen FedEx account that belonged to a sports memorabilia company. They also moved drugs hidden beneath vehicles carried on tow trucks.

On May 6, 2023, the Pennsylvania State Police intercepted a package holding six kilograms of cocaine shipped from Battle's home in southeast Atlanta, the Justice Department said. Four days later, federal and state agents searched the house and seized fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin packaged for sale. Agents found two firearms under Battle's bed and approximately $76,000 in cash, and arrested him on a criminal complaint that day.

Hertzberg said Battle had a prior conviction for trafficking narcotics. Battle faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison, the Justice Department said, and the court will weigh the federal sentencing guidelines, which are not binding.

The FBI, the DEA and the Pennsylvania State Police investigated the case, with help from the Georgia State Patrol, as part of the Homeland Security Task Force. Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division, said the task force exposed the network, disrupted it and secured a conviction against the man who ran it.