CORRECTED BELOW To note defendant Keith Wheeler Jr. is 31 years old.
DUBLIN, GA: A newly unsealed federal indictment charges 13 people with participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy distributing large amounts of methamphetamine and heroin in the Laurens County area.
The indictment in USA v. Martin et. al, follows a nearly three-year investigation by the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, into drug trafficking in and around Laurens, Johnson, Treutlen, Emanuel, and Washington counties, and elsewhere, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The 27-count indictment charges each of the defendants with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, a charge that upon conviction carries a statutory penalty of up to life in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
“Investigators from the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the DEA performed outstanding work in identifying and bringing to justice those alleged to be responsible for a significant amount of drug trafficking in the greater Dublin area,” U.S. Attorney Estes said. “These collaborations with our law enforcement partners continue to send the message that we will be relentless in protecting our communities from drug trafficking and the violent crime it spawns.”
The indictment was unsealed after initial court appearances for each of the defendants. They include:
- Travis Lee Martin, a/k/a “Fat,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; four counts of Distribution of 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; two counts of Distribution of Heroin; four counts of Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and three counts of Use of Communication Facility, related to use of a telephone on behalf of the conspiracy. Martin’s indictment includes a Notice of Enhanced Punishment, noting that he is subject to increased punishment if convicted because he previously was convicted of one or more serious drug or serious violent felonies.
- Lashondria Letrecee Roberts, 37, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Sentell Eugene Carey, 39, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Ikavian Dankevious Carey, a/k/a “Big Mike,” a/k/a “Man,” 25, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Ricardo Jerome Taylor, a/k/a “Mike,” a/k/a “Spook,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Travis Keith Wheeler Jr., 31, of Soperton, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and two counts of Distribution of Methamphetamine;
- Travon Lamont Burger, 41, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Carmen Michelle Oxford, 40, of East Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number;
- Gerald Keith Downard, 45, of East Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and Possession of a Firearm with an Obliterated Serial Number;
- Kendrick Lavar Dixon, a/k/a “Ken,” 41, of Wrightsville, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine;
- Jacquelyn Amelia Brewer, a/k/a “Amy,” 50, of Dexter, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; and one count of Use of Communication Facility;
- Nicole Tinagero Gregory, 35, of Swainsboro, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; Distribution of Heroin; and Distribution of Methamphetamine; and,
- Erika Lashandria Tobridge, 59, of Dublin, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, 100 Grams or More of Heroin, and 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine; four counts of Distribution of Heroin; and Possession with Intent to Distribute 100 Grams or More of Heroin.
The indictment includes a forfeiture notice regarding two firearms and $86,297 in cash seized during searches as part of the investigation. Nearly 100 dogs suspected to be involved in a dog-fighting operation also were seized during the investigation; that case is being prosecuted separately.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by agencies including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southeastern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, the Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer J. Kirkland and Jerimiah S. Johnson.