10th person found guilty in Augusta-area meth trafficking operation

AUGUSTA, Ga. — A tenth defendant charged in a Georgia drug trafficking conspiracy has been found guilty by a jury.

Donnie Skillman, 47, of Augusta, faces up to life in a federal prison.

He was convicted of methamphetamine trafficking and firearms charges.

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After a two-day trial, a jury found him guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

Skillman was one of 10 defendants charged in December 2023 under an indictment identifying a major methamphetamine trafficking operation in the Augusta area.

The other nine defendants are serving federal prison sentences after pleading guilty to drug trafficking conspiracy charges, including:

• Edward Jake Walters, a/k/a “State Farm,” a/k/a “Jake from State Farm,” 30, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Phillip Smith, 50, of Augusta, was sentenced to 156 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Dustin Bayles, 36, of Thomson, Ga., was sentenced to 135 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Glen Taylor, 43, of Beech Island, S.C., was sentenced to 37 months in prison and fined $1,500;
• Linda Campbell, 54, of Augusta, was sentenced to 68 months in prison and fined $1,000;
• Joshua Wasden, 36, of Thomson, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison and fined $2,000;
• Brian Hilliard, 41, of Augusta, was sentenced to 108 months in prison and fined $2,500;
• Gary Holcomb, 61, of Martinez, Ga., was sentenced to 188 months in prison and fined $2,000; and,
• Destiny Poole, 24, of Grovetown, Ga., was sentenced to 87 months in prison and fined $1,500.

Smith, Hilliard, and Holcomb also pled guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

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