11Alive News has learned that two metro Atlanta men who recently pled guilty to federal drug trafficking charges have been operating a Sandy Springs facility for recovering addicts for several years.

In October, federal prosecutors announced the indictment of Drew T. Green, Thomas Malone Jr. and eight others for drug trafficking, money laundering and conspiracy, alleging they were operating one of the largest synthetic drug cartels in the country.

Federal prosecutors say Green and Malone's company Nutragenomics sold millions of dollars worth of chemicals used to manufacture so-called designer drugs like synthetic marijuana and bath salts.

"I've come to a point where I refuse to use the term synthetic marijuana. It gives these poisons too much credence," said Lance Dyer whose son Dakota committed suicide after smoking a synthetic marijuana product named "Mr. Miyagi."

 "These drugs are literally poisons."

DECATUR, Ga. -- A DeKalb County Superior Court judge has sentenced a convicted pimp to 60 years in prison.

The jury returned its verdict Friday, finding Erik Djon Ferguson guilty on 16 counts, including pimping and conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of children.

"Today, the jury and the judge sent a loud and resounding message that human trafficking has become a big issue and will not be tolerated here in DeKalb County," District Attorney Robert James said. "We see many children exploited at an early age and enticed into a reckless and dangerous lifestyle of prostitution. Our goal is to protect young people from being exploited by these predators and to prosecute those individuals to the fullest extent of the law."

Ferguson was allowed to make a statement in court.

DECATUR, Ga. -- A former Chamblee Police Department employee charged with fixing traffic tickets has pleaded not guilty in DeKalb County Superior Court.

Bobbi Jean Farrell was indicted in October on four counts of theft by taking. She's charged with arranging to have more than $3,000 in refunds from traffic arrest bonds sent to herself.

Traffic offenders arrested in Chamblee who put up bond and later are acquitted or have their cases dropped are subject to a refund.

According to earlier reports, prosecutors think that between April and June of this year, the Farrell funneled some of that money to herself by changing the citations of guilty offenders to show that prosecutors had dropped the charges.

Farrell was arrested on July 13 and subsequently fired.