Men at Macon State Prison accused of participating in international drug trade
Prisoners from Macon State Prison are accused by federal prosecutors of distributing drugs from China into Middle Georgia, according to the indictment unsealed last week.
Six people, including two prisoners at Macon State Prison and two men from China, face a slew of charges regarding an alleged conspiracy they participated in alongside two other men to distribute fentanyl and synthetic marijuana from China to Middle Georgia, the the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia said Friday They were indicted in May, but the indictment was unsealed Thursday.
Those involved in the conspiracy are, according to federal prosecutors:
- Devito Duran Young, 44, of Marietta, who is currently imprisoned at Macon State Prison. He faces one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, which would give him a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a potential maximum life sentence, as well as an $8 million fine.
- Trace Davrin Works, 29, of Mableton. He faces one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, which would result in him serving a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted, with a potential maximum sentence of life. He also faces an $8 million fine.
- Xin Wang, 27, of China. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Wang will have to face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison, with the maximum term being 40 years in prison, and a $5 million fine for the fentanyl charge if he’s convicted. He will face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for the conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance charge if he’s convicted.
- Andreaus Benard Oliver Sr., 43, of Cordele, who is currently imprisoned at Macon State Prison. He faces one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, which carries the possibility of serving 30 years in prison and a $2 million fine if he’s convicted.
- Andreaus Benard Oliver Jr., 26, of Cordele. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of using or maintaining drug premises, which carries the possibility of serving 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
- Gao Yong, 29, of China. He is charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine if convicted.
Young, Works and Oliver Sr. are in custody and they’ve had their initial appearances in front of Magistrate Judge Charles Weigle on Aug. 7, federal prosecutors said. Oliver Jr. also had his first appearance before Weigle on Aug. 7, but will be arraigned in Albany on Monday.
Agents recover synthetic marijuana in Cordele residence
Young and Oliver Sr., the prisoners at Macon State Prison, allegedly “conspired to acquire and distribute fentanyl or synthetic cannabinoids (marijuana) from China to the United States beginning in 2023,” federal prosecutors said. Shipments of the synthetic marijuana arrived at an address belonging to Oliver Jr. in Cordele, in which Wang and Yong facilitated the sale and distribution.
Yong allegedly communicated directly with the customers, negotiated the sale of the drugs and provided shipment tracking information, while Wang allegedly directed the sale of fentanyl worldwide and received cryptocurrency as payment.
Young allegedly placed multiple orders of fentanyl from Wang and Yong using an encrypted chat application via a contraband cellphone while he was in prison, federal prosecutors said. He allegedly directed Works to get the fentanyl and ship it to addresses in Middle Georgia, with both Young and Works allegedly paying Wang and Yong with cryptocurrency. Oliver Jr. and others allegedly placed multiple orders for synthetic marijuana from Wang and Yong online and paid them with cryptocurrency, “directing the packages to addresses in Cordele and his (Fourth) Avenue residence, allegedly referred to as the ‘lab,’” federal prosecutors said.
A package from China was intercepted by law enforcement, which resulted in agents executing a search warrant at Oliver Jr.’s residence on July 2024. They found “more than 175 metal pans with sheets of paper; multiple jugs and bottles containing suspected cannabinoids; several measuring beakers; more than 350 dried sheets of paper soaked in cannabinoids; return address labels purporting to be from various attorneys; shipping labels addressed to inmates in jail and prison facilities around the country; cash; and ledgers indicating how many sheets had been processed,” federal prosecutors said.
Further, $170,000 in cryptocurrency was seized from Wang as part of the investigation.
An indictment only alleges criminal conduct from the defendants, and all of them are presumed innocent until they’re proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
