Newspaper Page Text
Sllie Aiiuancg
The ADVANCE, July 21, 2021 /Page 9A
30 Indicted in Meth Trafficking Bust
Several local residents
are among 30 defendants in
dicted in “Operation: Mon
roe Doctrine.” The indict
ments followed a year-long
investigation by multiple
authorities of a meth traf
ficking ring in several South
Georgia counties.
The Laurens County
Sheriff's Office along with
the Coffee County Sheriff’s
Office; U.S. Drug Enforce
ment Administration; Bu
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms, and Explosives;
and attorneys with the
Southern District of Geor
gia participated in the inves
tigation and attended at a
briefing in Dublin on Friday,
July 16.
The federal indictment
in USA v. Monroe charges
the 30 defendants with 56
felony counts. Their charg
es come after investigators
identified a meth trafficking
ring operating in Laurens,
Telfair, and other area coun
ties. Officials state the opera
tion ran from at least January
2020 through January 2021.
The federal indictment
also includes forfeiture al
legations for 77 firearms in
cluding a machine gun and
four homemade silencers,
said David H. Estes, Acting
U.S. Attorney for the South
ern District of Georgia.
Each defendant is
charged with conspiracy to
possess with the intent to
distribute and to distribute
50 grams or more of meth.
If convicted, each defendant
faces a statutory minimum
sentence of 10 years to life in
prison. None of the defen
dants will receive parole be
cause there's no parole in the
federal system, Estes said.
The named defendants
have started their initial ap
pearance hearings. All are in
custody. Area residents who
were among those indicted
are:
• Frederick Perry, Jr.,
34, of Vidalia, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams or
More ofMethamphetamine,
Your
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please.
“Perhaps we
should count just the
number of people
who actually get sick
from Covid, not just
positive test results -
or regular flu or heart
attacks or car wrecks
or gun shots who then
just happen to test
positive for Covid. We
know that there has
constantly been trou
ble with "fake posi
tive" test results. Per
haps someone wants
to keep the Covid
thing going so people
will keep living in
fear."
“When you are a
baby, you cry when
you need a bottle.
You cry when you
want a toy, and your
and two counts of Use of
Communication Facility;
• Chris Horne, 31, of Vi
dalia, charged with Conspir
acy to Possess with Intent to
Distribute and to Distribute
50 Grams or More ofMeth
amphetamine, and two
counts of Use of Communi
cation Facility;
• Cody Argo, 33, of
Glenwood, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams or
More ofMethamphetamine,
and two counts of Use of
Communication Facility;
• Steven Larsen, 55, of
Glenwood, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams or
More ofMethamphetamine,
and two counts of Use of
Communication Facility;
• Brooke Skipper, 48, of
Alamo, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility.
• Robin Eberling, 34,
of Soperton, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams or
More ofMethamphetamine,
and two counts of Distribu
tion ofMethamphetamine;
Others indicted are:
• David Alex Monroe,
32, currently in custody at
the Laurens County Jail,
charged with Conspiracy to
Possess with Intent to Dis
tribute and to Distribute 50
Grams or More of Meth
amphetamine; Possession
with Intent to Distribute 50
Grams or More ofMetham
phetamine; Possession of
Firearms in Furtherance of
a Drug Trafficking Crime;
Possession of a Firearm by
a User of Illegal Drugs; Ille
gal Possession of a Machine
Gun; and Possession of an
Unregistered Firearm;
• Jorge Hernandez-Pe-
na, 45, of Atlanta, charged
with Conspiracy to Possess
with Intent to Distribute
mama buys one. As
you get older, you
want a paycheck
from the government,
if you don't get one,
you cry. You go to a
restaurant or any
place of business,
they cry because
they can't get no
help. Joe Biden and
his democrat party
don't care about no
body else but them
selves."
“I would like to
know when the city
of Vidalia empties
these trash cans at
the Pinecrest Ceme
tery. It's been two
months and they're
still full."
“If surveyors or
questioners knock on
your door and ask if
you've been vacci
nated or not or plan
to, tell them it's none
of their business what
your plans are."
“President Biden is
not sending storm
troopers door to door
to force everyone to
get vaccinated. That
is utter nonsense. But I
would advise every
one to please get
vaccinated against
the corona virus be
cause it is starting to
come back with the
delta variant, and it
will kill a lot of people
who are misin
formed."
and to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine; and seven counts
of Use of Communication
Facility, a charge that refers
to the use of telephones to
facilitate the conspiracy;
• Fredi Ramirez-Garcia,
42, currently in custody in
the Dekalb County Jail in
Decatur, Ga., charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine;
• Christopher Forbes,
31, of Dublin, charged
with Conspiracy to Pos
sess with Intent to Distrib
ute and to Distribute 50
Grams or More of Meth
amphetamine; five counts
of Distribution of Metham
phetamine; Possession of a
Firearm by a User of Illegal
Drugs; Possession of an
Unregistered Firearm; and
eight counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• David Kates, 45, cur
rently incarcerated at Rogers
State Prison in Reidsville,
charged with Conspiracy to
Possess with Intent to Dis
tribute and to Distribute 50
Grams or More ofMetham
phetamine;
• Carl Davis, 48, cur
rently in custody in the Lau
rens County Jail, charged
with Conspiracy to Possess
with Intent to Distribute 50
Grams or More of Meth
amphetamine; Possession
with Intent to Distribute 50
Grams or More of Meth
amphetamine; and Use of
Communication Facility;
• Wanda Phillips, 40, of
Adrian, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and Possession with
Intent to Distribute 5 or
More Grams of Metham
phetamine;
• Timothy Bracewell,
53, of Dublin, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams or
More ofMethamphetamine,
and two counts of Use of
Communication Facility;
•Jordan Gooch, 35, cur
rently in custody at the John
F. Goode Pre-Trial Deten
tion Facility in Jacksonville,
Fla., charged with Conspir
acy to Possess with Intent
to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• Erica Brown, 41, of
Jackson, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• Rosario Cortez-
Locenzo, 37, of Atlanta,
charged with Conspiracy to
Possess with Intent to Dis
tribute and to Distribute 50
Grams or More ofMetham
phetamine, and three counts
of Use of Communication
Facility;
• Jeremi Kole Pullen,
36, of Dublin, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility;
• Joshua Killingsworth,
34, of Dexter, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility;
• Tommy King, 59, of
Dublin, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• Gary Moore, 41, of
Cadwell, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More of
Methamphetamine;
• Robert Anthony Jus
tice, 38, of Chester, charged
with Conspiracy to Possess
with Intent to Distribute
and to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility;
• Joshua Brown, 41, of
Dublin, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• Joseph Grubbs, 45,
of Dublin, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and Use of Commu
nication Facility;
• Howard Johnson,
31, of Jacksonville, charged
with Conspiracy to Possess
with Intent to Distribute
and to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and Possession with
Intent to Distribute 50
Grams or More ofMetham
phetamine;
• Desaree Midyette,
27, of Jacksonville, charged
with Conspiracy to Possess
with Intent to Distribute
and to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and Possession with
Intent to Distribute 50
Grams or More ofMetham
phetamine;
• Alexis Weinhold, 23,
of Dublin, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility;
• Justin Hobbs, 27, of
Dublin, charged with Con
spiracy to Possess with In
tent to Distribute and to Dis
tribute 50 Grams or More
of Methamphetamine, and
two counts of Use of Com
munication Facility;
• Maranda Stroud, 28,
of Dublin, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility; and,
• Brandie Grizzard,
35, of Rentz, charged with
Conspiracy to Possess with
Intent to Distribute and
to Distribute 50 Grams
or More of Methamphet
amine, and two counts of
Use of Communication Fa
cility.
The case was investi
gated under the Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement
Task Forces (OCDETF).
OCDETF identifies, dis
rupts, and dismantles the
highest-level criminal orga
nizations that threaten the
United States, using a prose
cutor-led, intelligence-driv
en, multi-agency approach.
The case is being investigat
ed by the Laurens County
Sheriff’s Office, the U.S.
Drug Enforcement Admin
istration, and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms
and Explosives, and pros
ecuted for the United States
by Assistant U.S. Attorneys
John P. Harper III, Joshua
M. Pennington II, and OC
DETF Coordinator Marcela
C. Mateo.
Crossword Puzzle
Solution, page 12A
CLUES ACROSS
1. Fashion accessory
5. Subatomic particle
10. Ethnic group of the Philippines
14. Popular cookie
15. Fabric
16. Alcoholic liquor
17. Peter , Dutch portrait painter
18. Longtime Chicago mayor
19. A famous “Lady”
20. Islamic calendar month
22. Rocky peak
23. Polio vaccine developer
24. Songs sung in open air
27. Military movements
30. Male parent
31. Beloved hot beverage
32. Female sibling
35. Tackled the QB
37. Set a dog on someone
38. Long live! (Spanish)
39. Porticos
40. Pouch
41. Smooth fabric
CLUES DOWN
1. Fifth notes of major scales
2. Region
3. Your consciousness of your
own identity
4. Georgetown athletes
5. They follow A
6. Spoke
7. Hairdressers’ domain
8. Extravagantly theatric
9. End-blown flute
10. Heroic tales
11. Member of a Semitic people
12. Members of a priestly caste
13. Southern Ghana people
21. Counsels
23. Body of water
25. Awesome!
26. Calendar month
27. Native of region in Caucasus
28. Indian city
29. Exclusive
32. Alaskan town
42. Enough (archaic)
43. Institute legal proceedings against
44. Scarred
45. Draw from
46. Brother or sister
47. Body part
48. Commercials
49. London soccer team
52. Satisfied
55. Surgical technique (abbr.)
56. Fencing sword
60. French industrial city
61. Intellectual property
organization (abbr.)
63. Helps to carry food
64. “Rule, Britannia” composer
65. One-time Empress of the Roman
Empire
66. Intestinal pouches
67. None better
68. “WandaVision” actress
69. Comedic actress Kathryn
33. Covered with ivy
34. Loose granular substances
36. Native American tribe
37. Written American English
38. Holiday (informal)
40. Add up
41. Small brown and gray rails
43. Get off your feet
44. Express disgust
46. Surface of the ground
47. Put into a silo
49. Belief
50. British noblemen
51. Tennis game
52. Dry, protective crust
53. Swiss river
54. Large integers
57. La Tar Pits, Hollywood
58. Every one of two or more
59. “Deadpool” actor Reynolds
61. Earlier
62. Peter’s last name
S MDO KM so,oHon - page ,2A
Fun By The
Numbers
Like puzzles?
Then you’ll love
sudoku. This
mind-bending
puzzle will have
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the moment you
square off, so
sharpen your
pencil and put
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savvy to the test!
Level: Intermediate
Here’s How It Works:
Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine
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row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row,
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appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The
more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
1
7
5
8
6
2
8
9
3
7
6
7
8
5
4
9
1
2
6
9
6
9
5
3
7
Guest
continued from page 6A
that assignment, testify
that this latest invasion
could be a killer issue for
Democrats in 2022.
Also, the progressives’
adamant stand that rogue
cops hostile to people of
color are the true police
crisis in America has been
rendered politically
obsolete by a nationwide
surge in shootings, murders
and mass killings. How
potent is the issue? Eric
Adams, a Black former
police captain running on
the issue of public safety,
won the Democratic
primary for mayor of New
York and is headed for
Grade Mansion.
Almost without
exception, the cities where
the shootings and killings
are occurring have been
run by Democrats for
decades. The “defund the
police!” chant of Black
Lives Matter and its camp
followers is now being
drowned out by a clamor
for more cops to protect
the people of color who are
the collateral damage and
victims of the shootings.
Other stories gracing
front pages and evening
news reports in coming
months will be the horrors
coming out of Afghanistan,
as the Taliban capture
towns and provincial
capitals and exact
retribution on those
Afghans who made the
fatal mistake of casting
their lot with the
Americans.
Biden did not take us
into Afghanistan, but he
ordered the rapid
withdrawal, and his
presidency will bear the
political consequences of
his presiding over yet
another lost American war.
As JFK said, life is unfair.
If the Democratic
Party goes into the election
of 2022 defending Biden’s
border failures, decrying
rogue cops rather than
addressing the shootings
and killings, and explaining
Please see Guest page
11A