Sixteen Miami-Dade Residents Indicted on Drug Conspiracy and Distribution Charges
Indictment Stems from USAO’s Overtown and Liberty City Violence Reduction Partnerships
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 12, 2012 |
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael B. Steinbach, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; Alysa D. Erichs, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI), Miami Field Office; Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Administration Enforcement (DEA), Miami Field Division; Manuel Orosa, Chief, City of Miami Police Department; J.D. Patterson, Acting Director, Miami-Dade Police Department (MDPD); and Sergio Velazquez, Chief, Hialeah Police Department, announced the indictment of 16 individuals for their alleged participation in various heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana distribution conspiracies. The defendants are expected to make their initial appearances in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Alicia Otazo-Reyes on Thursday, December 13, 2012, at 2:00 p.m.
Today’s indictment is, in part, the result of Overtown and Liberty City Violence Reduction Partnerships, launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in October 2011 and August 2012, respectively. Through these partnerships, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its federal and local law enforcement allies seek to dismantle the most violent criminal networks in the Overtown and Liberty City neighborhoods, while simultaneously working with community leaders and concerned citizens to mentor at-risk youths, provide jobs and job training to young families, and help probationers and parolees successfully re-enter society.
The 42-count indictment, returned on December 11, 2012 and unsealed today, charges the defendants with conspiracy to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, in violation of Title 21 United States Code, Section 846 (counts two, four, eight 16, 18, 21, 31, 36, and 40); and possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, in violation of 21, United States Code, Section 841(a)(1) (counts one, three, five through seven, 9 through 15, 17, 19-20, 22-30, 32-35, 37-39, and 41-42). The indictment charges the following 16 individuals:
- Chuck Wayne Boyd, 36, of Miami Gardens
- Anthony Delancey, 36, of Liberty City
- Johnny Roy Tarver, 25, of Miami
- Andre Antonio Jackson, 27, of Overtown
- Kalin Demetrius Mareus, 37, of Miami
- Keyon Jamor Williams, 25, of Liberty City
- Kerry Bernard Williams, 28, of Liberty City
- Eddie Lonso Foster Jr., 19, of Liberty City
- Donnie Earl Mathes, 26, of Liberty City
- Vashawn Chanell Thurston, 35, of Liberty City
- Richard Eugene Young, Jr., 38, of Liberty City
- Estmane Lucdor, 33, of Miami
- Julius Waco Wade, 35, of Liberty City
- Miguel Angel Ortiz, 26, of Hialeah
- Anthony Donnell Rose, 41, of Liberty City
- Teshon Renee Yarbough, 24, of Liberty City.
U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer stated, “Today, we announce the results of the most recent partnership between federal and local law enforcement to combat violent crime in our communities. This indictment will undoubtedly reduce the level of crime in the Overtown and Liberty City areas of Miami, as we have effectively removed from those communities 16 violent and notorious drug traffickers that had been entrenched in the area. Federal law provides stiff penalties for narcotics traffickers and career offenders. Through the Overtown and Liberty City Violence Reduction Partnerships, we stand committed to reducing street violence and narcotics trafficking, with the goal of helping to make our communities safer.”
“Today’s arrests and indictment have disrupted and struck a serious blow to violent drug trafficking organizations in the Liberty City and Overtown area of Miami,” said Timothy P. Donovan, Assistant Special Agent in Charge from FBI’s Miami Division. “Our success in this ongoing investigation is the direct result of the exceptional cooperation among the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.”
“This indictment illustrates the nexus between illegal drug sales and violence,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Alysa Erichs. “We remain committed to working with our state and local law enforcement partners to continue our efforts to rid South Florida of these violent criminals.”
“The reality is drug trafficking has become synonymous with violence,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville. “The DEA is proud to be a part of the Overtown and Liberty City Violence Reduction Partnership and will stand in alliance with our law enforcement partners to combat these violent criminals in our neighborhoods.”
Miami Police Department Chief Manuel Orosa stated, “I am pleased with our united efforts to stop the illegal drug activity in our neighborhoods. These defendants preyed on the residents of Liberty City and Overtown and must now face justice for their crimes.”
“Due to the teamwork between our local and federal agencies, this community continues to benefit from the successful arrests and prosecutions of intricate investigations such as this one. These cases take time and dedication, and to see the results of today’s indictment is a testament to all of our agencies and the commitment we have made to making an impact on violent crime in our community,” stated J.D. Patterson, Acting Director of the Miami-Dade Police Department.
This two-year multi-agency and multi-jurisdictional investigation into Boyd’s alleged cocaine trafficking network was the result of the cooperative investigative efforts of seven different law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, ICE-HSI, DEA, the City of Miami Police Department, the Miami Dade Police Department, and the City of Hialeah Police Department. In October 2011, these separate investigations were merged into a single operation under the auspices of the USAO’s Overtown and Liberty City Violence Reduction Partnerships, resulting in today’s charges.
If convicted of the charges, defendants Young, Lucdor, Rose, and Yarbough face a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The remaining 12 defendants face a possible statutory maximum sentence of up to forty years in prison.
Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, ICE-HSI, DEA, City of Miami Police Department, Miami-Dade Police Department, and Hialeah Police Department. Mr. Ferrer also thanked State Attorney Katherine Fernandez-Rundle and the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office for their invaluable assistance during the course of this investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Roy Altman.
An indictment is only an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.