Sean P. Costello U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama
A Newnan, Georgia man involved in a drug trafficking organization led by Darrin Southall has been sentenced in federal court. Edward Ray Antoine, Jr., aged 42, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine in April 2024.
Court documents reveal that Antoine, also known as "Easy," was an associate of Southall and had connections with drug suppliers in Texas. Federal investigators intercepted telephone calls between Antoine and Southall, who used coded language to conceal their drug trafficking activities. They shared a courier who transported multi-kilogram cocaine shipments and large sums of cash between Southall and the suppliers in Texas. The courier's pickup truck, registered to Antoine’s wife, had an exterior fuel tank with a false bottom for concealing the drugs and money.
In January 2022, federal authorities stopped the courier's truck and seized $322,000 in cash from the compartment. Numerous calls were intercepted where Antoine and Southall discussed the courier’s stop and arrest status, potential recovery of the seized cash, and communications with Texas suppliers awaiting delivery.
Federal and state investigators arrested Southall along with many members of his organization during 2021 and 2022. To date, approximately 30 members have been prosecuted in federal court.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced Antoine to ten years’ imprisonment with sentences running concurrently. Additionally, he will serve five years on supervised release post-imprisonment. Conditions include testing for substance abuse and searches upon reasonable suspicion. A $200 special assessment was also imposed.
The case involved investigations by multiple agencies including the Mobile Police Department, Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted on behalf of the United States.
This investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations through a collaborative approach involving various law enforcement agencies.
