GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - On Mar. 9, 2015, Demetrius Antwan Dalton, 35, of Atlanta, Ga., was sentenced by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, U.S. District Court Judge, to serve 240 months in federal prison. Dalton was previously convicted of conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with the intent to distribute, 280 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine base (“crack"). There is no parole in the federal system.
From March 2012 to April 2013, Dalton operated a massive conspiracy in which he and numerous others sold kilogram quantities of crack cocaine throughout Johnson City. To accomplish this, Dalton procured powder cocaine from sources of supply in Georgia, transported the contraband to Tennessee, and then manufactured it into crack cocaine. Once that process was complete, he worked with countless facilitators, couriers, and distributors to sell his product.
Law enforcement used a variety of individuals to conduct controlled drug transactions with members of the instant conspiracy. Several of those transactions involved Dalton himself. Ultimately, agents received court authorization to monitor the phone calls of members of this conspiracy. The resulting wiretaps produced phone calls in which Dalton and his coconspirators were repeatedly heard arranging crack cocaine deals, discussing drug prices and quantities, and joking about the addiction suffered by their customers.
This investigation was the product of a partnership between the Johnson City, Tennessee Police Department, First Judicial District Drug Task Force, and Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nick Regalia represented the United States.
A total of 21 individuals were charged as a result of this investigation. Those previously sentenced include:
Tavares Lashaun Dalton, 36, of Covington, Ga., 240 months; Marcus Lavoya Holliman, 36, of Atlanta, Ga., 210 months; Eullis Monroe Goodwin, 43, of Elizabethton, Tenn., 188 months; Micah Antwan Still, 34, of Covington, Ga., 120 months; Derrick Henry Connor, 40, of Sherills Ford, N.C., 120 months; Devin Deonte Blalock, 20, of Jonesboro, Ga., 120 months; Kwanza Tarveze Worthy, 20, of Atlanta, Ga., 120 months; Don Juan Glass, Jr., 22, of Atlanta, Gia., 120 months; Uhamma Castillo Delgado, II, 24, of Johnson City, Tenn., 120 months; Demario Jenard Serchion, 29, of Atlanta, Ga., 77 months; and Cody Alan Sherrill, age 22, of Jonesborough, Tenn., 41 months. All others are awaiting prosecution or sentencing.
The investigation is a result of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF") program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multi-level attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s drug supply.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
