Dawn N. Ison, U.S. Attorney | Department Of Justice Eastern District Of Michigan
A Shelby Township man, Martaze Davis, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the trafficking of methamphetamine and laundering drug profits, according to an announcement by Acting United States Attorney Julie A. Beck. Davis, 34, served as a leader within the Detroit gang known as the 42 Hustle Boys. This group had been engaged in a deadly feud with a rival gang, the Seven Mile Bloods.
"This investigation and prosecution, which began in 2023," Beck explained, "focused on Davis’s leadership of a drug conspiracy that sent members to California to purchase methamphetamine brought into the United States from Mexico and transport it across the United States for distribution in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, and Tennessee."
On October 24, 2023, Davis conspired with codefendant Alexander Polanco, 28, to load a vehicle occupied by codefendants Taneeya Richard, 25, and Dejon Howard-Henderson, 24, with nearly 39 kilograms of methamphetamine. This methamphetamine was subsequently seized by officers in Texas.
“Our office vigorously pursues drug traffickers, including gang leaders and members, who push dangerous drugs like methamphetamine into our communities with indifference to the tragedy it inflicts,” stated Beck. The cooperation among the Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Division, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and U.S. Attorney’s Office was critical in the capture and prosecution of Davis.
Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA, stated, “Bringing members of violent street gangs to justice is one of our top operational priorities in the DEA Detroit Division. Mr. Davis and his 42 Hustle Boys co-conspirators are responsible for fueling untold suffering by funneling massive amounts of methamphetamine into areas already hard-hit by the opioid crisis."
Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, remarked that "Today’s sentencing of Martaze Davis represents a significant victory in our ongoing fight against organized crime and drug trafficking in Detroit."
From the IRS Criminal Investigation unit, Charles Miller added, “The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs. Without these ill-gotten gains, the traffickers could not finance their organizations."
The case was involved with the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which combines resources from multiple agencies to target and disrupt major criminal networks.
Davis was sentenced by the Honorable Sean F. Cox, and the investigation was conducted by the DEA, IRS Criminal Investigations, and FBI. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul Kuebler.
