Columbia Man Sentenced on Gun, Drug Charges

A Columbia man is facing up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition, and possession with intent to distribute heroin.

Gregory Lamont Rawls, also known as "G" or "Bobby," 38, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie. Following his imprisonment, Rawls will undergo six years of supervised release. 

On December 7, 2011, officers with the Columbia Police Department Drug Suppression Unit went to Rawls' house on Bronx Road in Columbia after receiving a tip about drug activity there, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. They found heroin, digital scales, packaging, ammunition, and a fully loaded Taurus .45 caliber firearm.

Rawls is prohibited under federal law from possessing firearms and/or ammunition based upon his prior state convictions for armed robbery, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, failure to stop for a blue light and siren and possession with intent to distribute cocaine within the proximity of a school, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The case was investigated by the Columbia Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state and local Project CeaseFire initiative, which aggressively prosecutes firearm cases. Assistant United States Attorney Stacey D. Haynes of the Columbia office handled the case.