Memphis, TN - A local man has been sentenced to 37 months for conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.
According to the information presented in court, state and federal law enforcement officers learned that members and associates of the Peda Roll Mafia in Memphis received illegal drugs, including methamphetamine and marijuana, from the Avendano drug trafficking organization (DTO) in California. The Peda Roll Mafia is a subset of the Grape Street Crips. The Avendano DTO arranged for their Memphis-based co-conspirators to funnel payment for drugs through cash deposits at Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Use of national banks allowed the drug proceeds that were deposited in Memphis to be withdrawn by the Avendano DTO in California.
The defendant Clyde Wade III, 36, was an associate of Peda Roll Mafia members in Memphis. As part of the scheme, Wade III agreed to make large cash deposits at Bank of America and Wells Fargo into accounts provided by the Avendano DTO. Wade III knew the purpose of these deposits was to promote illegal drug trafficking. As a result of Wade III's deposits, members of the Avendano DTO mailed additional illegal drugs to co-conspirators in the Western District of Tennessee. Wade III deposited between $15,000 and $40,000 during the conspiracy.
As a result of his role in the money laundering conspiracy, Wade III pleaded guilty in federal court on June 27, 2019. On Sept. 27, 2019, U.S. District court Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Wade III to 37 months in prison followed by 3 years supervised release.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, "Criminal enterprises and street gangs that distribute harmful and addictive drugs into our communities for profit can no longer operate with impunity. One of the most effective ways to combat drug conspiracies and drug trafficking organizations is to charge, seize, and forfeit ill-gotten gains from the money laundering and structuring of financial transactions derived from illegal drug proceeds. Thanks to the outstanding work of our law enforcement partners, we are targeting gangs to dismantle their organizations and financial structures, and aggressively pursuing cases that yield real consequences for ALL defendants involved in the conspiracy, including gang associates."
This prosecution is part of an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). OCDETF is a joint federal, state and local cooperative approach to combat drug trafficking organizations, targeting national and regional level drug trafficking organizations, and coordinating the necessary law enforcement entities and resources to disrupt or dismantle the targeted criminal organization and seize their assets.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S Marshals Service, Memphis Police Department, and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Erskine and Kevin Whitmore prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
