VALDOSTA — A Valdosta man described as “an armed career criminal” was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison Thursday on firearms charges, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

Frankie Shearry Jr., 43, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release after having pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the justice department said in a statement. There is no parole in the federal system.

Federal and state law enforcement began a county-wide operation focused on probationers requiring home checks due to their criminal history or current status as probationers. Officers had information that Shearry, a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal history, was distributing narcotics from his place of work as a barber, the statement said.

Agents found two firearms inside Shearry’s bedroom that he admitted belonged to him: a loaded semi-automatic pistol located near the top of his bed and another loaded semi-automatic pistol under his mattress, the justice department said.

Shearry also admitted he knew he was prohibited from possessing firearms due to his criminal history, which includes four prior convictions in Lowndes County Superior Court for various drug distribution charges, according to the statement.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.