21 Plead Guilty To Federal Charges In Maury & Lewis County Drug Distribution Conspiracies

NASHVILLE – 21 individuals charged with distributing substantial amounts of controlled substances in and around Maury County and Lewis County, Tennessee, have pleaded guilty to federal drug distribution charges, announced United States Attorney Henry C. Leventis.

An indictment returned in December 2021 charged the following 14 individuals with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine, between March 2018 and September 2019:

Julio Esparza, aka Beto, 46; Freddy Quinones, 49; and Jesus Silva, aka Barbas, 41, all of McAllen, Texas; Brandon Dailey, aka Willie Earl, 40; Henry Davis, aka Hank, 43; Vincent Conner, aka Roe, 38; Derrick Nixon, aka Chewy, 55; Shanika Odom, aka Butterball, 32; Terry Strayhorn, aka Goldie Mac, 42; and Samuel Abernathy, 45, all of Mount Pleasant, Tenn.; Brent Burns, aka Smiley, 39; and Tristen Tisby, aka Jolly, 31, both of Columbia, Tenn.; and Tory Hardison, 28; and Carson Lunn, 26, both of Pulaski, Tenn. 

In another indictment, the following seven individuals were charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine, and oxycodone, between October 2017 and November 2020:

Michael Sowell, aka Mac Black, 38; Frank Sparkman, aka Chucky, 42; Antonio Sowell, aka Premo, 38; Tanasha Vaughn, aka Nesha, 24, all of Hohenwald, Tenn.; Charles Lowe-Kelley, aka White Chaz, 31, of Columbia, Tenn.; and Darron Weakley, aka Snype Lucas, 37; and Antonio Laster, aka Lil Memphis, 33, both of Nashville, Tenn.  Michael Sowell and Antonio Sowell were also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

A third indictment charged Keadrick Duke, aka Kebe, 41, of Columbia, Tenn., with distribution of crack cocaine in November 2018.

Every defendant charged across these three indictments has now pleaded guilty, except for Brandon Dailey, who died while awaiting trial.

Many of these defendants face mandatory minimum prison terms of five, ten, or fifteen years, and up to life in prison when they are sentenced later this year.  

This case is the result of a multi-agency investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Columbia Police Department; the Hohenwald Police Department; the Spring Hill Police Department; and the Williamson County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert S. Levine and Nani Gilkerson are prosecuting these cases. 

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