Felon with seven prior convictions pleads guilty to armed trafficking charges

ATHENS – A northeast Georgia resident with a lengthy criminal history has pleaded guilty to armed drug trafficking charges in federal court.

Mandrell Antwoin Hull, 43, of Winterville, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon before U.S. District Judge Tilman E. Self III. Hull faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison up to a maximum sentence of life in prison. His sentencing date will be determined by the court. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Repeat offenders who continually disregard the law and whose actions harm our communities must be held accountable,” U.S. Attorney Peter D. Leary said in a news release. “Our office will continue to do everything in our power to support the efforts of local, state and federal law enforcement to uphold the law and keep our neighborhoods safe.”

“Criminals like Hull continue to plague our communities with blatant disregard for the safety of others and reckless indifference to the law,” Robert Gibbs, the senior supervisory special agent of FBI Atlanta’s Athens office, said. “It is only through our local and federal partnerships that we are able to put a stop to these violent repeat offenders.

“This case is another example of how the FBI and our law enforcement partners are dedicated to keeping the streets of Georgia safe for everyone in our communities.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, Hull was serving supervised release for a 2018 federal conviction for marijuana distribution. On April 11, 2023, officers with the United States Probation Office reached out to the FBI in Athens to request their assistance in conducting a search of Hull’s residence in Oglethorpe County because USPO believed that Hull was storing illegal drugs inside his residence.

That same day, agents and officers searched his Winterville property and located cocaine, $32,826 in drug proceeds and a loaded 9mm pistol. Records show that Hull has five prior felony convictions in the Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County and one prior felony conviction in the Superior Court of Gwinnett County, in addition to his prior federal felony conviction for which he was serving supervised release at the time of this crime. It is illegal for a convicted felon to possess a firearm.

This case is a part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence. The case was investigated by the FBI Athens Resident Agency Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force and the Oglethorpe County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case for the government.

Special Illustration: Metro Creative