Two Statesboro residents were among 32 men indicted Tuesday for their involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy centered in south Georgia and reaching into the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
The DOJ unsealed the federal indictment charges in U.S. District Court in Statesboro.
The primary conspiracy charge in “USA v. Morales-Jimenez et. al,” dubbed “Operation Carpet Ride,” carries a statutory minimum penalty 10 years in prison, up to life, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District Georgia. Conviction on the charge also carries a minimum five years supervised release following any prison term, and there is no parole in the federal system.
Statesboro residents Phillip Dwayne Walden, 45, and Enrique Humbra Denson Sr., 49, are charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 5 kilograms or more cocaine; 50 grams or more methamphetamine; 28 grams or more crack cocaine; hydrocodone; oxycodone; and marijuana.
Investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, Operation Carpet Ride identified drug trafficking operations in Bulloch, Candler, Evans, Effingham, Liberty, Tattnall, Richmond and Burke counties, and elsewhere, from as early as January 2016.
As described in the 49-count indictment, the conspiracy is alleged to have imported large quantities cocaine, methamphetamine and other drugs for distribution in the Southern District.
Also indicted from the area were nine men from Claxton and one from Sylvania.
“The painstaking investigation in Operation Carpet Ride spans nearly six years and thousands of miles as it tracked illegal drugs flowing into the United States to the Southern District Georgia and beyond,” Estes said. “Our law enforcement partners have done outstanding work in identifying, investigating and disrupting this drug trafficking organization.”
All the defendants in USA v. Morales-Jiminez et. al face the same charges as the Statesboro men.
Other individual charges in the indictment include drug possession and distribution, maintenance a drug-involved premises, and illegal firearms possession and use.
In addition to Walden and Denson, those named in the indictment are:
- Tony Deshawn Slater, 51, Claxton
- Anthony Craig Johnson, a/k/a “Pookie,” 56, Claxton
- Andre Delerrain Anderson, 48, Claxton
- Corey Ontavious Hendrix, 44, Claxton
- Kevin Derrell Ponder, 45, Claxton
- Marquese Shavel Palmer, 30, Claxton
- Tony Anthony Warren, 38, Claxton
- Jarvis Charles Hagan, 31, Claxton
- Caleb Earl Riggs, 37, Claxton
- Heather Elaine Barbee, 43, Sylvania
- Nicholas Rashon Fillmore, 42, Hinesville
- Domanek Laquan Mincey, 44, Glennville
- Terran Harvel Tigner, 35, Glennville
- Troy Sinclair Tigner, 35, Glennville
- Michael Lynn Jinks, 47, Glennville
- Lance Boyette Ford, 39, Glennville
- Kenneth Bacon Hall, 51, Glennville
- Gerald Walter Dasher, 52, Glennville
- Enrique Humbra Denson Jr., 29, Reidsville
- Sean Christopher Brown, 43, Savannah;
- Daniel Morales-Jimenez, a/k/a “Danny Hill,” 45, Puerto Rico;
- Pedro Castro-Vasquez, a/k/a “Chipo,” 50, Puerto Rico;
- Sonic Torres-Garcia, 24, Kissimmee, Fla.;
- Kristine Albright-Ramos, 35, Puerto Rico;
- Alexys Rivera-Cuevas, 28, Gainesville, Fla.;
- Luis Diaz-Albright, 20, Puerto Rico;
- Paola Morales Rosario, 24, Kissimmee, Fla.;
- Clarence Bess, a/k/a “Cash,” 41, Jacksonville, Fla.;
- Laverne Pullins Jr., 70, Jacksonville, Fla.;
- Demarr Clayton Lee, 52, Miami, Fla.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Georgia Bureau Investigation; the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office; the Evans County Sheriff’s Office; the Claxton Police Department; the Tattnall County Sheriff’s Office; the Glennville Police Department; the Bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Homeland Security Investigations; the Puerto Rico State Police; the Georgia State Board Pardons and Paroles; the Georgia Department Community Supervision; and the Barceloneta Police Department.