NASHVILLE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)), published as received.
NASHVILLE – Eleven members of a drug trafficking conspiracy pled guilty to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in middle Tennessee, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Davontay Holt, 30, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on April 8, 2024
Ricardo Molinero-Alcarez, 29, of Santa Rosa, California, pled guilty on April 9, 2024
Khyre McClain, 21, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on May 17, 2024
Marcus Johnson, 26, of Santa Rosa, California, pled guilty on May 29, 2024
Ethan Kimes, 22, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on May 29, 2024
Jahari Armstrong, 22, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on May 29, 2024
Jaydan Armstrong, 22, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on May 29, 2024
Mathew Cox, 28, of Santa Rosa, California, pled guilty on June 7, 2024
Tristain Orr, 24, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on June 17, 2024
Jonny Rodriguez-Gonzalez, 25, Elmira, California, pled guilty on June 17, 2024
Quortez Duncan, 36, of Columbia, Tennessee, pled guilty on June 18, 2024
According to charging and plea documents, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations 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, Tennessee, 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 UPS Store in Sebastopol, California, which was destined for Nashville. This package contained thousands of counterfeit fentanyl-laced Oxycodone “M30” tablets weighing over two kilograms. The package also contained more than eight pounds of methamphetamine.
On August 9, 2022, HSI agents intercepted two additional packages from the Santa Rosa area which were destined for residences in Nashville. One package contained 472 grams of the counterfeit fentanyl-laced Oxycodone “M30” tablets and the other package contained approximately four pounds of methamphetamine.
The defendants will be sentenced before United States District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., in the spring of 2025. Cox, Johnson, Molinero-Alcarez, McClain, Rodriguez-Gonzalez, and Duncan face up to life imprisonment and a $10,000,000 fine. Holt, Orr, Kimes, Jahari Armstrong, and Jaydan Armstrong face up to 20 years’ imprisonment and a $1,000,000 fine.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency; and the Columbia Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Safeeullah and Rachel Stephens are prosecuting the case.
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