Eleven defendants face multiple drug trafficking charges after the unsealing of a federal indictment alleging a regional conspiracy to distribute large amounts of multiple illegal drugs.
The defendants all face a primary charge of Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute, and to Distribute, Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Oxycodone, and Marijuana, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. That charge carries upon conviction a statutory penalty of up to life in prison, along with substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release upon completion of any prison term.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“This drug trafficking investigation required significant coordination from multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to identify and interrupt the conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend the hard work of our law enforcement partners in protecting our community.”
The newly unsealed indictment in USA v. Johnson, et al., describes a drug trafficking conspiracy operating throughout Bulloch, Chatham, and Liberty counties. Multiple law enforcement agencies, coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, identified the key members of the conspiracy and conducted multiple searches of homes, vehicles, and “trap houses” in which drugs were stored, and during those searches discovered and seized large amounts of drugs along with 11 firearms.
Ten of the defendants were charged in the indictment and after it was unsealed have been making their initial appearances in U.S. District Court. One defendant is a fugitive.
Those charged with conspiracy in USA v. Johnson et al. are:
- William Johnson, a/k/a “G,” a/k/a “Gansta,” 36, of Hinesville, Ga.;
- Keannon Wyckoff, a/k/a “Cuz,” a/k/a “Lank,” a/k/a “Link,” 41, of Statesboro;
- Thomas Blagmon, 40, of Hinesville;
- James Blagmon, a/k/a “G-Man,” 41, of Allenhurst, Ga.;
- Erick Collins, a/k/a “E,” a/k/a “Big E,” 53, of Statesboro;
- Christopher Grant, “a/k/a “Crip,” a/k/a “Scrappy,” 36, of Hinesville;
- Antwuan Byrd, 39, of Midway, Ga.;
- Dederick Bryant, 45, of Ludowici, Ga.;
- Jacob Robinson, a/k/a “Miles,” 48, of Hinesville; and,
- Irma Wyckoff, a/k/a “Auntie,” 60, of Hinesville.
Also charged is Israel Grant, 42, of Claxton, Ga., who is being sought by police. Anyone with information is asked to call the Drug Enforcement Administration Savannah Resident Office at 912-210-2944.
In addition to the conspiracy charge, multiple defendants also face other charges alleging drug possession and distribution, illegal firearms possession, and for maintaining drug-involved premises.
The indictment contains only charges; all defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.
This case is being prosecuted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Georgia Ports Authority Police, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, the Savannah Police Department, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Hinesville Police Department, the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and the Long County Sheriff’s Office, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Makeia R. Jonese and Assistant U.S. Attorney and OCDETF Coordinator Marcela C. Mateo.
