Earlier this week, former Atlanta rapper Columbia BT landed himself in some serious trouble. As noted by the United States Department of Justice, Columbia BT, real name Tommie Walker, was charged with trafficking over $4 million worth of cocaine. Atlanta news outlet WSB-TV reports that authorities confiscated $220,000 in cash and a whopping 135 kilograms of cocaine.
Walker was arrested alongside Juan Carlos Garcia-Martinez and Samuel Anchondo-Galaviz on charges of drug trafficking and possession with intent to distribute. “These defendants were allegedly part of a multi-state drug distribution scheme that transported and distributed cocaine worth approximately $4 million,” U.S. Attorney B.J. Pak said of the arrests. “Thanks to the work of law enforcement in Georgia, South Carolina and Colorado, this drug enterprise is now history.”
Walker reportedly operated his drug empire from a warehouse in the Atlanta area, receiving large shipments of cocaine hidden in tractor-trailers. The shipments were sent from Colorado, and Walker would subsequently sell to customers in the South Georgia and South Carolina areas. Last year, Anchondo-Galaviz was stopped on the way to the warehouse for transporting approximately 40 kilograms of cocaine.
According to the Department of Justice, Walker used his drug business to fund his career in rap music. In the arrest, a 2016 Rolls-Royce Dawn and 2013 Bentley Mulsanne were seized. “The defendants were transporting large quantities of drugs throughout our neighborhoods, and the dismantlement of this criminal organization will have a positive local impact and sends a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal drug trafficking in our communities," explained DEA special agent Robert J. Murphy.
