MACON, GA: Thirteen defendants have been sentenced to terms of up to 15 years in prison after an extensive operation that targeted a middle Georgia drug trafficking conspiracy.
Eight men and four women were indicted in February 2021 under Operation Breaking the Bond, an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation centered in the Bibb County area, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia was recused from the case, which was prosecuted by the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office. All 12 of the indicted defendants entered guilty pleas to felony charges related to the conspiracy, and a 13th pled guilty to perjury related to the case.
Middle District of Georgia Judge Marc T. Treadwell sentenced the operation’s lead defendant, Prentice Bond, a/k/a “P,” a/k/a “Peze,” 36, of Macon, to 180 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after Bond pled guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana, and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.
After sentencing all 12 defendants in the conspiracy, Judge Treadwell also sentenced Tommie Lanardo Holloway, a/k/a “Kane,” 36, of Kathleen, Ga., to 15 months in prison after Holloway pled guilty to Perjury, admitting that he lied during a hearing in District Court when he claimed ownership of four firearms found in Bond’s residence when he knew Bond owned and possessed the guns.
“Operation Breaking the Bond is an outstanding example of a complex, meticulous investigation aimed at identifying and eliminating drug trafficking and the violent criminal activity it spawns,” said U.S. Attorney Estes. “Our office was honored to serve on behalf of the citizens of the Middle District of Georgia to take these felons off the streets.”
As described in court documents and testimony, Operation Breaking the Bond started in mid-2019 to target sources of illegal drugs brought into and distributed in the Macon area. The investigation led to a series of searches in which large amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine, oxycodone, and marijuana were seized, along with nearly $97,000 in cash, a machine for pressing kilo-sized “bricks” of cocaine, money counters, scales, and drug packaging materials. Investigators also seized 39 illegally possessed firearms, ranging from pistols and shotguns to assault-style rifles.
In addition to Bond, defendants who pled guilty in the case and have been sentenced include:
- Travis Robinson, a/k/a “T-Roc,” 46, of Fairburn, Ga., sentenced to 80 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine;
- Xavier Cross, a/k/a “Ro,” a/k/a “Kairo,” 46, or Macon, sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and Possession of Firearms by a Convicted Felon;
- Charles Seang, 29, of Lilburn, Ga., sentenced to 37 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Marijuana;
- Chester Hall, a/k/a “Cheeseburger,” a/k/a “Cheese,” 41, of Macon, sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana;
- Geneva Harvey, 40, of Macon, sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by two years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana;
- Shaneka Jackson, 44, of Macon, sentenced to 12 months plus one day in prison followed by one year of supervised release after pleading guilty to Misprision of a Felony;
- Rodreco Jones, a/k/a “Freako,” a/k/a “Rico,” 40, of Macon, sentenced to 84 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 Kilograms or More of Marijuana;
- Earnest Milline, a/k/a “Rome,” a/k/a “Jerome,” 63, of Macon, sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana;
- Morgan Allison, 23, of Macon, sentenced to 14 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine;
- George Leverett, 29, Macon, was sentenced to two years of probation after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and,
- Tawana Daniels, 41, of Fairburn, Ga., was sentenced to three years of probation after pleading guilty to Misprision of a Felony.
“The convictions of those poison peddlers convicted as a result of Operation Breaking the Bond will have an impact on the drug trade in Middle Georgia,” said Bibb County Sheriff David J. Davis. “These convictions should be a message to anyone thinking of engaging in drug trafficking that they will be made to face justice. We can all be proud of the hard work of the investigators and prosecutors to put these criminals behind bars.”
“This poly-drug distribution network was responsible for distributing a vast amount of illegal drugs to countless numbers of drug users,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Thanks to the dedicated efforts between DEA and its law enforcement partners, these defendants will spend well-deserved time in prison.”
“As this exhaustive investigation comes to a close, the FBI would like to thank our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for all of their hard work and commitment to ending this drug trafficking conspiracy,” said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “With the removal of drugs, weapons, and 13 defendants from the streets, the citizens of Bibb County will be immediately safer.”
“Illegal drugs and illegally possessed firearms have no place in Georgia. They are dangerous and threaten the safety of our communities,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. “We will continue to work diligently along with our local and federal partners to investigate and dismantle drug trafficking organizations.”
The operation was conducted by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Unit, the Peach County Sheriff’s Office, the Braselton Police Department and the Union City Police Department, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorneys Noah J. Abrams and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.