Alabama Woman Gets 20-Year Sentence in Major Drug Bust After Federal Probe

A Mobile woman was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for playing a key role in a drug-trafficking operation that distributed cocaine and fentanyl across Alabama. Authorities said she was involved in firearms-related offenses and evidence tampering tied to the Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO).

Federal prosecutors announced that Exavieria Deagnes Maxie, 37, was convicted of assisting a Mobile-based drug operation led by her brother-in-law, Glennie Antonio McGee. Her sister, Echandza Dianca Maxie, was also involved in the same organization. Maxie received the maximum statutory sentence.

Maxie was sentenced to 240 months in prison. U.S. District Judge Terry F. Moorer also ordered three years of supervised release which will include drug testing and treatment. In addition, the court has ordered Maxie to pay $200 in special assessments.

According to authorities, the organization distributed hundreds of pounds of cocaine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills between 2017 and 2024, at times using children as couriers. The case came to federal attention through a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) wiretap operation in early 2024.

The investigation included surveillance footage from a covert camera installed inside McGee’s Cadillac Escalade, along with phone records. Authorities recovered multiple kilograms of cocaine, more than 1000 fentanyl pills, and several firearms.

McGee was arrested in June 2024 when agents found three kilograms of cocaine in his possession. During a later interview, he admitted to earning about $20,000 per month from cocaine trafficking, which he said he had been involved since 2017.

Following his arrest, Maxie’s role in the operation became clearer. Prosecutors said her sister gave her a shoebox containing custom jewelry and a loaded gun. 380 caliber handgun, which Maxie stored in her apartment.

Surveillance footage showed the sisters instructing a 15-year-old to dispose of the firearm before police conducted a search. The gun was later recovered near a softball field. Maxie later admitted to using her son to dispose of the weapon.

Prosecutors also noted that Maxie had a prior conviction in 2017 for methamphetamine trafficking, which prohibited her from possessing firearms.

McGee and Echandza Maxie are scheduled to be sentenced in August 2026.