Richmond County man sentenced to prison for trafficking illegal synthetic drugs

A Richmond County man who operated a mail-order business selling illegal synthetic drugs has been sentenced to federal prison.

Conway James Rhinehart, 43, of Hephzibah, Ga., was sentenced to 108 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, specifically a-PHP, a synthetic cannabinoid, and Eutylone, commonly known as “bath salts,” said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Chief Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Rhinehart to forfeit $50,000 in seized proceeds and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Conway James Rhinehart was so brazen in his illegal drug-selling operation that even after he was indicted and freed on pre-trial release, he continued selling illegal drugs until taken into federal custody,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “This sentence shuts down his operation and holds him accountable for his illegal activity.”

As described in court documents and testimony, investigators in 2020 began seizing packages containing a-PHP and Eutylone sent from various overseas locations to Rhinehart under multiple aliases and addresses in the Augusta area. Rhinehart was packaging, reselling and shipping the drugs nationwide through a website, marketing them as “energy powders” or “energy crystals.”

Rhinehart was indicted in June 2022, and after being released on bond was arrested after again attempting to operate his mail-order business. He pled guilty in September 2023.

“Removing this offender from the Richmond County community will effectively disrupt a major illegal synthetic drug operation,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration. “This defendant will now spend well-deserved time in prison.”

“This sentencing sends a very clear message that Postal Inspectors will relentlessly investigate individuals who try to illegally utilize the mail system to transport drugs,” said Tommy D. Coke, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. “We thank our law enforcement partners for their invaluable help in bringing this defendant to justice.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pennsylvania State Police, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys L. Alexander Hamner, Matthew A. Josephson and Jeremiah L. Johnson.