Memphis, TN - Seven members of a drug trafficking organization have pleaded guilty to distributing Oxycodone. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the guilty pleas today.
According to the indictment, on or about 2012 through March 2, 2017, Courtney M. Jones’ drug trafficking organization distributed a continuous supply of Oxycodone pills to customers of his organization. Jones and other co-conspirators organized and managed the delivery of various quantities of Oxycodone from Las Vegas, Nevada, into the Western District of Tennessee. The other defendants include Loren N. Bryant; Toresha D. Douglas; Charlotte M. Goldsmith; Magon O. Hall; Gabriel Rounds and Demarious E. Tuggle.
On May 9, 2013, Las Vegas Postal Inspectors began an investigation into packages suspected of containing Oxycodone pills. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) identified phone numbers, surveillance images, vehicle registrations and other information connecting Gabriel Rounds and Magon Hall sending packages to various addresses and recipients through Express Mail envelopes.
On March 2, 2017, an undercover Postal Inspector delivered an Express Mail package to Jones’ apartment. The surveillance team observed Jones meet the mail carrier and accept the package. A search warrant was executed, and approximately 700 oxycodone pills and $53,325 in cash was recovered, as well as a fully loaded Glock 9mm pistol, 6.1 grams of marijuana found inside of a wooden box and 3.3 grams of marijuana inside a plastic bag in a kitchen cabinet. Jones was a convicted felon at the time of the incident.
The investigation further revealed that the defendants would deposit or withdraw cash from Wells Fargo Bank, Bank of America, In Touch Credit Union and MoneyGram as payment for the shipments.
The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman as follows: Courtney M. Jones on Jan. 12, 2018; Toresha D. Douglas on Jan. 18, 2018; Megan O. Hall on Jan. 19, 2018; Gabriel Rounds and Demarious E. Tuggle on Jan. 25, 2018; Loren N. Bryant and Charlotte M. Goldsmith on Feb. 2, 2018. The maximum penalty is not more than 20 years imprisonment and $500,000 fine and 5 years supervised release to begin after incarceration.
The United States Postal Inspection Service and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jerry Kitchen and Michelle Parks are prosecuting the case on the government’s behalf.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
