Paul M. O’Brien
United States Attorney
Thomas M. Kent
Assistant U.S. Attorney
FEDERAL AUTHORITIES ANNOUNCE THE INDICTMENT OF THIRTY ONE INDIVIDUALS ON NARCOTICS AND MONEY LAUNDERING CHARGES
Nashville, TN - September 20, 2007- Paul M. O’Brien, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee, Harry S. Sommers, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nashville District Office, My Harrison, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Division, Cleve Daniels, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Mark Gwyn, Director of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Ronal Serpas, Chief of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and Jackie Moore, Chief of the Franklin Police Department announced the indictment of thirty one individuals on narcotics and money launderer charges by a federal grand jury in Nashville, Tennessee.
The investigation was conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”), the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (“TBI”), the Franklin Police Department (“FPD”) and the 21st Judicial District Drug Task Force (“21st JDDTF”) and was initiated in the Spring of 2007. The Sumner County Sheriff’s Department (“SCSD”), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”), the Tennessee Army National Guard (“TNG”), the United States Marshals Service (“USMS”), the Tennessee Highway Patrol (“THP”), the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force (“18th JDDTF”), the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office (“RCSO”), the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office (“WCSO”), the 20th Judicial District Drug Task Force (“20th JDDTF”), and DEA offices in California, Arizona and Georgia assisted in the investigation.
According to the indictment, the defendants conspired to acquire large quantities of cocaine and marijuana from sources of supply in Mexico for distribution in the form of cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana in the Middle District of Tennessee. The objective of the conspiracy was also to generate significant monetary profits in the form of illegal narcotics proceeds from that distribution. The defendants performed different roles and tasks during the course of the conspiracy that included acquiring multi-hundred kilogram quantities of cocaine and multi-hundred pound quantities of marijuana in Mexico for importation into the United States, and organizing the transportation of the cocaine and marijuana across the Mexico border into and across the United States, including to California, Arizona and the Middle District of Tennessee. Others in the conspiracy prepared, packaged and stored the cocaine and marijuana in stash houses in the Middle District of Tennessee prior to distribution and processed a portion of the cocaine into cocaine base and distributed the cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana to other narcotics traffickers within the Middle District of Tennessee. Others re-distributed the cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana to customers in the Nashville and Franklin areas and counted, sorted and packaged currency derived from the sale of cocaine, cocaine base and marijuana. Some members of the conspiracy organized the transportation of currency derived from the sale of these illegal narcotics to their sources of supply and conducted financial transactions designed to conceal the nature, source and ownership of currency derived from the sale of the illegal narcotics.
Gary Jackson a/k/a Maurice Jefferson a/k/a the General a/k/a the Gen a/k/a G; Anthony Corley a/k/a Tony a/k/a T; Edwin Locklayer a/k/a Robert White a/k/a Charles Scott a/k/a Phillip Anderson a/k/a Ed a/k/a Big E; Deshay Jones a/k/a Troy King a/k/a Charles Mitchell a/k/a Yellow a/k/a Big Head a/k/a Shay a/k/a D; Eugene Lamont Foster a/k/a Mont a/k/a Quit Playing a/k/a T a/k/a Money a/k/a Poo; Terry Biles a/k/a Thomas Brown a/k/a Jamaar Allen Henderson a/k/a Jump Around a/k/a T; Miklos Tadeo Garcia-Carbo; Derrick Lamont Johnson a/k/a Brian Williams a/k/a 69 a/k/a Rainman; Clifford Dean Harrison; Darius Travell Gentry a/k/a Boo; Marquis Grayson; Darryl Covington; Detaniel Troymaine Lee a/k/a Winkie; Brad Poynter a/k/a BP; Wendell Hickerson a/k/a Hickberry; David Lee McLemore; Rickolas Haynes a/k/a Fatty; Jamie Taylor; Reginald Puckett a/k/a Dante; Solathus Johnson; Brad Jordan; Dante Hatchett; Ronald Poynter a/k/a Chucky Fudd; Jodi Beard; Jimmie Johnson; Seymore Sebastian Staten, Felix Mandrell Leach a/k/a Duala; James Nelson; Jamal Pope; and Robert Rollings a/k/a New York are charged in count one of the indictment with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute and distribution of over 5 kilograms of cocaine, over 50 grams of cocaine base, and over 100 kilograms of marijuana, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Section 846.
Edwin Locklayer a/k/a Robert White a/k/a Charles Scott a/k/a Phillip Anderson a/k/a Ed a/k/a Big E; Deshay Jones a/k/a Troy King a/k/a Charles Mitchell a/k/a Yellow a/k/a Big Head a/k/a Shay a/k/a D; and Darryl Moore a/k/a D-Mo a/k/a Mo a/k/a Baldy are charged in count two of the indictment with conspiracy to conduct financial transactions involving narcotics proceeds to conceal and disguise the nature, source, ownership and control of the proceeds, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h).
“The investigation and indictments send a clear message that the United States Attorney’s Office, the DEA, and its federal, state and local law enforcement partners will target narcotics traffickers that endanger our communities, their supply networks, the organizations responsible for transporting large quantities of narcotics into the Middle District of Tennessee, and the money launderers who assist them in concealing their proceeds,” said U.S. Attorney Paul O’Brien.
Rodney G. Benson, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division stated, “DEA continues to target the most prolific drug traffickers who are in the business of wreaking havoc in our communities. The extensive local, state and federal cooperation led to the dismantling of this criminal organization.”
Over three hundred officers and agents from approximately sixty law enforcement agencies, armed with over twenty federal search warrants, began arresting the defendants at daybreak this morning.
Assistant United States Attorney Thomas M. Kent for the Middle District of Tennesseewill prosecute the case on behalf of the United States.
An indictment merely represents an accusation, and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless they are proven guilty.