Released by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office …
On Friday, September 13, 2019 at approximately 1:30 P.M., Jackson County Sheriff Lou Roberts attended a Press Conference hosted at the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office by Sheriff Morris Young, in reference to an additional round of indictments resulting in the arrests of 8 additional personnel involved in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Calhoun County Sheriff Glenn Kimbrel was also in attendance, where the Sheriffs discussed the indictments and their collaborative efforts to combat illegal narcotics. On September 12, 2019 4 of the 8 defendants were arrested in Jackson County, 2 of the 8 were arrested in Gadsden County and 1 of the 8 was arrested in Calhoun County. The agencies were assisted by numerous state and federal partners with the apprehension of the arrestees.
All of the subjects who were arrested were indicted for distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA (ecstasy) throughout the North-Central Florida Panhandle between 2018-2019. The following was released from the Northern District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office:
8 MORE GADSDEN, JACKSON, AND CALHOUN COUNTY RESIDENTS CHARGED IN DRUG TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment, charging eight additional defendants with federal drug trafficking offenses. The indictment arises from an investigation that previously resulted in charges against twelve other defendants for offenses stemming from a long-term investigation into drug trafficking. The superseding indictment was announced today by Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
The newly charged defendants are:
- Otis Goulds, 58, of Chattahoochee, Florida; • Savanna Price, 20, of Marianna, Florida; • Travis Smith, 37, of Malone, Florida; • Charles Randolph Corbin, 46, of Blountstown, Florida; • Justin Cribley, 36, of Chattahoochee, Florida; • Zanntayfey Yohoun Bennett, 35, of Quincy, Florida; • Jeremy Williams, 29, of Greenwood, Florida; and • Tanya Henry, 41, of Grand Ridge, Florida
The superseding indictment and arrests resulted from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Operation, which targeted a drug trafficking organization headed by Jermaine Hadley. The organization is alleged to be responsible for the distribution of methamphetamine, cocaine, and MDMA throughout the north-central Florida Panhandle between 2018 and 2019. The superseding indictment is a continuation of the prosecution that commenced with the original indictment returned in May.
If convicted, the eight new defendants face penalties ranging up to and including life imprisonment and fines up to $20 million.
The case was investigated by a number of federal, state, and local agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Marshals Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, the Chattahoochee Police Department, the Tallahassee Police Department, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Florida Air National Guard Counterdrug Program. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric Mountin.
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state, and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking and is the nation’s primary tool for disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt and dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize its assets.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Sheriff Roberts and his staff are committed to the fight against drugs that plague our community, and would like to encourage anyone with any information about those who traffick, manufacture, abuse, use, sell, and/or deliver any illegal narcotics to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office at 850-482-9624 or Chipola Crime Stoppers at 850-526-5000 or toll free at 888-804-8494. Tips can also be submitted online at www.crimestoppersofjacksoncountyfl.com