Ten Men Arrested and Charged with Drug Conspiracy

CHARLOTTE, NC—Ten individuals have been arrested and indicted on drug charges, announced Anne M. Tompkins, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. U.S. Attorney Tompkins is joined in making today’s announcement by Chris Briese, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division.

The two count criminal indictment returned by a federal grand jury sitting in Charlotte on December 6, 2011, and unsealed today charges the 10 defendants with one count of conspiracy to distribute 280 or more grams of crack cocaine, and one count of criminal use of a communications facility.

The following individuals were named and charged in the indictment:

• John William Abrams, aka “Fatboy,” 25, of Gastonia, N.C.;
• Kennis Dominique Coleman, aka “K.C.,” 32, of Belmont, N.C.;
• James Lewis Gordon, aka “Killa B,” 28, of Gastonia, N.C.;
• Tamarris DaWayn Lewis, aka “Boonka,”, 23, of Gastonia, N.C.;
• Ricky Eugene Lynn, aka “Lil Ricky,” 25, of Gastonia, N.C;
• Jarvis Sentell Lynn, aka “Little D,” 24, Incarcerated in North Carolina DOC;
• Jasmon Delshon Mackey, aka “Jaz,” 30, of Gastonia, N.C.;
• Irait Yeshua Martinez, aka “Chino,” 28, of Gastonia, N.C.;
• Jared Evan McClellan, aka “Big Jared,” 23, of Stanley, N.C.; and
• Martino Omar Smith, aka “Tino,” 25, of Gastonia, N.C.

All individuals were taken into custody today and made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge David S. Cayer in federal court in Charlotte. Lynn is already in the custody of the North Carolina Department of Corrections. If convicted, each defendant faces a minimum of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison, and a fine of $2 million. The charges contained in the indictment are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case is brought as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, with substantial assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the Gastonia Police Department, the Gaston County Police Department, the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, the North Carolina Department of Probation and Parole, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), the Mount Holly Police Department, the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office, and the Gaston County Probation Office. The prosecution is being handled for the government by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Kent and Jill Rose of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte.