Department of Justice

AUGUSTA, GA:  A multi-agency drug trafficking investigation has culminated in the criminal conspiracy indictment of 21 defendants in the Southern District of Georgia.

Operation Wynner Storm, initiated by the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), targeted gang-related drug trafficking in the Wilkes, Lincoln and McDuffie County areas north of Augusta, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The primary charge in the indictment, Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana, carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of 10 years to life in federal prison and fines of up to $10 million, followed by not less than five years of supervised release.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“A collaborative effort with our law enforcement partners is the key to combating large drug trafficking organizations,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our rural communities, particularly, benefit from the coordination of local, state and federal agencies in the fight against criminal street gangs.” 

As described in the newly unsealed 51-count indictment in USA v. Wynn et al., Operation Wynner Storm describes a conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine or 500 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, along with cocaine and marijuana, dating back at least to April 2019. Many of the defendants also are charged with illegal firearms possession, and the indictment includes the forfeiture of eight guns seized during the investigation.

An additional 18 defendants are being prosecuted on state charges related to the investigation.

“On behalf of local law enforcement and the good citizens of Wilkes County, we appreciate the hard work by the Safe Streets Task Force in making all of Wilkes County a safer place to live,” said Mark Moore, Sheriff of Wilkes County.

“Citizens in the communities affected by organizations who are alleged to peddle drugs and weapons are immediately safer following the collaborative effort of the FBI and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “We are all committed to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.”

“ATF will continue to dedicate federal resources in conjunction with crucial federal and local law enforcement partners to the pursuit of eradicating and forestalling criminal activity in communities we serve,” said Beau Kolodka, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

“These indictments are the result of successful collaborative efforts between state, local, and federal agencies,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “We will continue to work with our partners to investigate drug trafficking and keep Georgia safe.”

Those charged in Operation Wynner Storm and their charges include:

• Exjaben Demontaz Hardman, a/k/a “Zay,” 42, of Washington, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Using or Maintaining a Drug Premises; and 24 counts of Use of Communication Facility, a charge related to the use of telephones to facilitate the conspiracy;
• Sherman Redzuees Blackmon, a/k/a “Shorty P,” 42, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and four counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Paul Mickel McKittrick, a/k/a “Mike,” 40, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and 12 counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Calvin Terrill Wynn, a/k/a “Swang Lo,” a/k/a “Lo,” 33, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and three counts of Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
• Timothy Derrick Pettus, a/k/a “TP,” 53, of Duluth, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and three counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• William Daniel Mason, 52, an inmate at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and two counts of Use of Communications Facility;
• Amanda Kirkland Smith, 40, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana;
• Derrick Demond Barnett, a/k/a “DB,” 44, an inmate at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Jermaine Wingfield, a/k/a “J-Chunk,” 32, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Roger Levar Powell, a/k/a “P,” 44, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Stevie Lamar Shank, 49, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana, and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Elijah Abdullah Davis, 35, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and one count of Use of Communication Facility; 
• Willie Fitzgerald Young, 51, of Rayle, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and three counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• William Paul Murray, 66, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Using or Maintaining a Drug Premises; and one count of Use of Communication Facility;
• Lindsey Harris Andrews, 37, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Lila Marie Quarles, a/k/a “Lila Dawkins,” 41, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Cynthia Leigh McCarty, 54, Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Demetrius Antonio Perkins, a/k/a “Dee,” 39, an inmate at Riverbend Correctional Facility in Milledgeville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana;
• Stephanie Marie Adams, 24, of Washington, charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility;
• Taylor Ann Marie Farmer, 29, of Crawfordville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine; and three counts of Use of Communication Facility; and,
• Tracy Reid Moore, a/k/a “T-Mo,” 33, of Athens, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Distribute and to Possess with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Use of Communication Facility.

Initial appearance hearings in U.S. District Court have been underway for the defendants.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Agencies investigating the case include the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the U.S. Marshals Service and the U.S. Probation Office; the Georgia Bureau of Investigation; the Georgia Department of Community Supervision; the Georgia State Patrol; the Wilkes County Sheriff’s Office; the Taliaferro County Sheriff’s Office; the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office; the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office; and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patricia G. Rhodes.