Repeat offender convicted in plot to take over Columbus drug trade, faces 30 years
A Columbus man accused of trying to seize control of the city’s illicit drug market was found guilty this week following a federal investigation that spanned nearly two years and involved agencies across multiple states.
Marquez Holloway, 32, known as “Glizzy,” was convicted on one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and more than 50 kilograms of marijuana.
The verdict came after a two-day trial stemming from Operation Sweet Silence, a multi-agency probe conducted under the Department of Justice’s nationwide Operation Take Back America initiative. Holloway faces up to 30 years in federal prison when he is sentenced on Feb. 24, 2026.
According to evidence presented at trial, investigators say Holloway sought to dominate Columbus’s illegal drug trade by sourcing high-grade marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamine from California. Between September and December 2023 alone, he obtained at least 110 pounds of marijuana and attempted to acquire methamphetamine for local distribution. He has a prior Georgia conviction for drug trafficking.
U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes said the case underscores the stakes of the federal crackdown. “Illegal drugs pouring into our communities from dangerous cartels pose a serious threat to the safety of our nation,” he said.
Officials from the DOJ, FBI, DEA, and Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office said their work will continue as part of national efforts to disrupt cartels, transnational criminal organizations and violent drug trafficking groups.
Operation Sweet Silence ran from August 2022 to May 2024 and focused on the Zohannon criminal street gang’s drug activities. Though not a member of the gang, Holloway was identified as attempting to carve out his own dominance in the Columbus drug market.
The case was investigated by the FBI, DEA, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office, and several partner agencies in Georgia, Alabama, and California. Prosecutors from the Middle District of Georgia and the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are handling the case.
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