A former teacher and drug counselor was sentenced Thursday to 42 months in federal prison on a drug case.
Peter Chin could have gotten a stiffer sentence, but Gianna Maio of the federal public defender's office argued that no drugs were found in the vehicle occupied by Chin as a passenger. It was stopped on I-75 in Bradley County on June 14, 2013.
A K9 trained to detect drugs hit on the car, and a handgun was found in a satchel that Chin said belonged to him. Police found $7,440 in cash in a suitcase that police were told belonged to driver Antonio Moore.
Moore said Chin told him to put the money (belonging to Chin) in his suitcase.
He said Chin previously paid him $1,000 to drive him to Baytown, Tex. He said he was being paid $500 for that trip.
He said he had previously seen Chin with quantities of heroin.
The sentence was by Judge Curtis Collier.