PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Jason R. Coody, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today the sentences and upcoming sentence of defendants who were indicted in multiple cases and convicted for their participation in a methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana ring previously active in Crestview. The prosecutions were the result of a large-scale multi-agency investigation spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office during a two-year investigation.
From the summer of 2018 through the fall of 2019, law enforcement seized over 12 kilograms of marijuana, 9 kilograms of methamphetamine, over 3 kilograms of cocaine, 680 grams of crack cocaine, 1.5 kilograms of heroin, 10 firearms, $71,094.00 in U.S. Currency, and $15,845 in drug proceeds, from multiple locations in Crestview, Fort Walton Beach, and Cottondale.
As a result of the investigation, the following defendants were convicted and have been sentenced to the following in federal court:
* Johnnie Hill Callahan III, 38, of Crestview- 20 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon;
* Arthur John Collins III, 39, of Crestview-10 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute of controlled substances;
* Cavese Marcus Will Charles Barnes, 38, of Crestview-10 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances;
* Rusty Zakee Moorer, 41, of Crestview-5 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
* Daniel Glenn Capps, 40, of Crestview-40 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
* Stephanie Anne Martin, 29, of Crestview-30 months imprisonment conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
* Derrick Lavert Lewis, 39, of Crestview-30 months imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances;
* Dewayne Anthony Marion, 33, of Crestview- 5 years’ supervised release conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution, and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances;
* Ghazwan Famil Brown, 38, of Crestview-5 years’ probation for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances; and
* Kenneth N. Harrison, 40, of Crestview-awaiting sentencing on Nov. 29, 2021, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, and possession of a firearm or ammunition by a convicted felon.
“This multi-year investigation and the resulting sentences demonstrate our law enforcement partners’ tireless efforts and commitment to public safety," stated Acting U.S. Attorney Coody. “As a result of our partners’ collective efforts, a dangerous trafficking organization has been dismantled and its members have been held to account for their distribution of deadly substances. I want to commend both the former Okaloosa County Sheriff Larry Ashley and the current Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden for their leadership and exceptional efforts to partner local, state, and federal agencies together to remove drug traffickers from our streets."
“This investigation is an outstanding example of what we can accomplish through our law enforcement partnerships," said Drug Enforcement Administration Miami Field Division Acting Special Agent in Charge La Verne Hibbert. “These sentences should serve as a deterrent to those who engage in criminal activities that put our communities at risk and reaffirms the Drug Enforcement Administration’s commitment to keeping our communities safe from these violent criminals."
“This complex investigation exemplifies how leveraging law enforcement partnerships and expertise can thwart violent crime," said ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig W. Saier. “Together we are removing criminal organizations from our communities who commit firearms crimes and other dangerous acts that pose a threat to public safety."
These cases resulted from a joint investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Crestview Police Department, and Gulf Breeze Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan Love prosecuted these cases.
These prosecutions are all part of Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operations. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
