Lottery Winner's 'Unwise' Investment: Millions Of Dollars In Meth

BRUNSWICK, GA — A south Georgia man who won $3 million in the lottery has admitted to spending a huge chunk of his winnings to buy, and deal, meth.

Ronnie Music Jr., 45, of Waycross, pleaded guilty last week in U.S. District Court to federal drug trafficking and firearm charges.

Last February, Music won $3 million playing a scratch-off game, according to the Georgia Lottery website.

Months later, federal prosecutors say, Music had sunk a sizable portion of his winnings into buying methamphetamine with the goal of reselling it.

"Defendant Music decided to test his luck by sinking millions of dollars of lottery winnings into the purchase and sale of crystal meth," U.S. Attorney Ed Tarver said in a news release. "As a result of his unsound investment strategy, Music now faces decades in a federal prison."

According to an investigation by federal, state and local authorities, Music and others were caught in September of last year trying to sell about 11 pounds of crystal meth, with a street value in excess of $500,000.

The investigation revealed Music as the financier behind the purchase of the meth and that he had used his lottery winnings to fund the purchase.

In all, agents seized more than $1 million worth of meth, a large cache of firearms, thousands of rounds of ammunition, several vehicles and more than $600,000.

Music won playing the instant game 100X The Money, according to the Georgia Lottery website. He bought the winning ticket at Papa's Deli in Waycross.

"I buy tickets every once in awhile," he said in a post on the site about his win. "I couldn’t believe it, and I still don’t believe it yet."

Music faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Photo via GaLottery.com