Multi-county drug trafficking investigation nets more than 50 arrests

FLORIDA – More than 50 individuals have been apprehended under warrants linked to drug trafficking following an extensive investigation carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in collaboration with local and state law enforcement agencies.

The investigation targeted alleged drug trafficking in Jackson, Calhoun, Liberty, and Gadsden counties.

Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the arrests.

“I am proud of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners for their tireless efforts to keep us safe and serve a critical role in our efforts to remove addictive and deadly controlled substances from our communities,” said Coody.

“We will continue to support the efforts our law enforcement partners as we work together to investigate and prosecute criminals bringing drugs into North Florida.”

The multi-agency operation reportedly netted seizures of over 35 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine, multiple kilograms of cocaine, multiple ounces of fentanyl, over 60 firearms, and over $100,000 in United States currency.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida (USAO), the federal defendants arrested are identified as:

• Joshua Leo Carr, 40, of Marianna, Florida
• Michael Christopher “City Boy” Garner, 38, of Chattahoochee, Florida
• Joncy Torrianne Hall, 31, of Marianna, Florida
• Robert Blake Howell, 45, of Marianna, Florida
• Helen Christine Jones, a/k/a Christine Howell, 41, of Marianna, Florida
• Amos E. “Pops” Rogers, 58, of Chipley, Florida
• Matthew Ottovio Aliffi, 45, of Marianna, Florida

The USAO said the following defendants are already in custody elsewhere and scheduled for federal arraignment:

• Ashley Marie Albert, 29, of Mariana, Florida
• Royce Allen “R.J.” Alday, 30, of Marianna, Florida
• Ryan Wade “Bobo” Massey, 32, of Chipley, Florida
• Holly Gay Newton a/k/a Holly Nichols, 43, of Altha, Florida
• Dewayne Deshun “Max” Thornton, 23, of Dothan, Alabama

According to the USAO, previous federal arrests from this same investigation include:

• Brian Beauchamp, 37, of Grand Ridge, Florida
• Anthony Lamar “Kool Aid” Brown, 46, of Quincy, Florida
• Eric Shane Daniels, 27, of Blountstown, Florida
• Daniel B. Foster, 40, of Blountstown, Florida
• Cornelius Montez Garner, 33, of Chattahoochee, Florida
• Gary Lamar “G” Murphy III, 37, of Tallahassee, Florida
• Savannah Price, 23, of Marianna, Florida
• Jessica Nicole Pynes, 35, of Bristol, Florida
• Shelby Roney, 49, of Malone, Florida
• Curtis Vickers, 38, of Dothan, Alabama
• Latoya Latasha White, 34, of Lake Wales, Florida

The defendants charged federally face penalties of up to life imprisonment and fines of up to $20,000,000, said the USAO.

The USAO said the state defendants arrested are:

• Tara Baxley
• Cheryl Bernhard
• Destiny Bryan
• Paul Childress
• Jeffrey Davis
• Arthur Goodwin
• Dawn Herndon
• Richard Outlaw
• Darryl Owens
• Abdullah Muhammad
• Nikolaus Rabon
• Forrest Reed, Jr.
• James Shelmon
• Ashley Smith
• Giselle Sukanec
• Keith Edward Summerlin
• Paul Wright

The arrests resulted from an extensive investigation by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The joint federal, state, and local cooperative targeted drug trafficking west of Tallahassee, particularly in Jackson County, said the USAO.

Investigative agencies included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, the Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, the Chattahoochee Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s office, the Holmes County Sheriff’s office, the Dothan, Alabama Police Department, the North Star Multijurisdictional Drug Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

The federal Northern District of Florida cases are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys James A. McCain, Jessica S. Etherton, Joseph A. Ravelo, and Eric K. Mountin.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.