NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A joint investigation led to 11 guilty pleas for members of a drug trafficking conspiracy who are charged with distributing and possessing with the intent to distribute controlled substances. Six men face a maximum penalty of life in prison and millions of dollars in fines.
According to charging and plea documents, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) were investigating the distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana and counterfeit, fentanyl-laced oxycodone tablets with the inscription “M30,” which were being shipped from the Santa Rosa, California, area to Tennessee and more than a dozen other states. Subsequent investigation, including surveillance and the review of social media sites and mobile payment records, identified members of the drug distribution network. Law enforcement officers in Columbia executed several search warrants of the defendants’ residences and recovered loaded firearms and blue tablets inscribed “M30.”
On July 25, 2022, HSI agents seized a package from a United Parcel Service Store in Sebastopol, California, that was destined for Nashville. The package contained thousands of counterfeit fentanyl-laced oxycodone tablets weighing over 2 kilograms. The package also contained more than 8 pounds of methamphetamine.
On Aug. 9, 2022, HSI Nashville agents intercepted two additional packages from the Santa Rosa area that were destined for residences in Nashville. One package contained 472 grams of the fentanyl-laced oxycodone tablets and the other contained approximately 4 pounds of methamphetamine.
The following people pleaded guilty to crimes related to this case:
- Davontay Holt, 30, of Columbia, pleaded guilty April 8.
- Ricardo Molinero-Alcarez, 29, of Santa Rosa, pleaded guilty April 9.
- Khyre McClain, 21, of Columbia, pleaded guilty May 17.
- Marcus Johnson, 26, of Santa Rosa, pleaded guilty May 29.
- Ethan Kimes, 22, of Columbia, pleaded guilty May 29.
- Jahari Armstrong, 22, of Columbia, pleaded guilty May 29.
- Jaydan Armstrong, 22, of Columbia, pleaded guilty May 29.
- Mathew Cox, 28, of Santa Rosa, pleaded guilty June 7.
- Tristain Orr, 24, of Columbia, pleaded guilty June 17.
- Jonny Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 25, of Elmira, California, pleaded guilty June 17.
- Quortez Duncan, 36, of Columbia, pleaded guilty June 18.
The defendants will be sentenced before U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. in spring 2025. Cox, Johnson, Molinero-Alcarez, McClain, Rodriguez-Gonzalez and Duncan each face up to life imprisonment and a $10 million fine. Holt, Orr, Kimes, Jahari Armstrong and Jaydan Armstrong each face up to 20 years of imprisonment and a $1 million fine.
This case was investigated by HSI Nashville, the DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI’s Memphis field office and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Safeeullah and Rachel Stephens are prosecuting the case.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.