Cocaine dealer gets harsher sentence on appeal

AUGUSTA - Andrew Webb appealed a 22-year sentence for cocaine trafficking because he thought it was too harsh. <br> <br> The appeals court ruled it was too lenient. <br> <br> Webb, who police said distributed 10 kilograms of cocaine per week in Augusta and Waynesboro until his arrest in 2000, received a 30-year jail term Thursday in U.S. District Court during a resentencing hearing. <br> <br> When he first sentenced the 32-year-old Webb in January 2001, U.S. District Judge Dudley H. Bowen Jr. ignored federal sentencing guidelines that called for 30 years to life. Bowen said 22 years was ``more than the appropriate societal response for the conduct Mr. Webb has engaged in.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> A month later, Webb ignored his attorney&#39;s advice and appealed. Federal prosecutors cross-appealed, saying the sentence did not follow mandatory sentencing guidelines. <br> <br> The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta agreed with prosecutors, saying the lower court had abused its discretion. <br> <br> Bowen said Thursday his hands were tied by the higher court&#39;s order. <br> <br> ``Mercy was a factor early on. It appears that justice is a factor now,&#39;&#39; he said.