Twenty-four defendants, led by Dwight A. Singletary II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie,” have been indicted on 99 counts tied to a sprawling cross-country marijuana trafficking and money laundering conspiracy that spanned at least six years. The operation, run largely out of a nondescript shipping storefront—Fast Pack & Ship in Fresno, California—funneled thousands of kilograms of marijuana and THC-laced edibles to buyers across the U.S., including deep into New York’s Capital Region.
According to the indictment, Singletary and Coles, both originally from New York, relocated to California and weaponized commercial carriers UPS and FedEx to distribute drugs nationwide. Recipients, including David Singletary, Lawrence Mumphrey, Deandre Caldwell (aka “Dilli,” “Dillinger,” “Dre”), Rosemary Coles, Niara Banks (“Nie”), Jazell Shuler, Toqwanda Ketchmore (“Quannie”), Victor Turner, JuneAllyson Osman (“Juney”), Consanga Harris (“Sondy”), and LaFay Pearson (“Lala”), were texted tracking information so they could intercept packages—many arriving stuffed with high-grade cannabis. The network also shipped edibles containing THC, which were later sold on the streets of Troy and beyond.
In the Capital Region, the drugs moved through underground “knock spots,” including a notorious slot-door operation on 5th Avenue in Troy. Raids on these locations repeatedly turned up caches of firearms and ammunition. David Singletary, aka “DB,” and Lawrence Mumphrey, aka “L,” both previously convicted felons, are accused of illegally possessing weapons—part of a broader pattern of armed drug distribution. Mumphrey is specifically charged with possessing three large-caliber rifles and a handgun in furtherance of drug trafficking; one rifle and the handgun were missing serial numbers, suggesting deliberate obliteration.
The profits—measured in hundreds of thousands of dollars—were laundered through a web of cash deliveries, money orders, cashier’s checks, and real estate flips. In one brazen move, $179,710 in cash was seized from Kristle Walker, aka “Demii,” at the Albany International Airport. Proceeds flowed into shell companies tied to the ringleaders: DAS Empire, Inc., Daddy D’s Boutique, and M.M.M.C. Management, Inc. Singletary and Coles used illicit gains to buy two Fresno homes for $820,000 and pour cash into renovating properties in New York owned by DAS Empire.
One Troy property on 5th Avenue became a symbol of the scheme’s audacity: Singletary bought it in 2016 for $9,000, renovated it with drug money, and flipped it in 2020 for over $250,000. Investigators say the transaction was not an outlier but a calculated strategy to legitimize dirty cash. Bank deposits, real estate records, and digital communications form a paper trail prosecutors say proves the conspiracy’s reach and sophistication.
The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Carla B. Freedman; ATF Special Agent in Charge John B. DeVito; DEA Special Agent in Charge Frank A. Tarentino III; Troy Police Chief Daniel DeWolf; and HSI Buffalo’s Matthew Scarpino. The defendants face charges including conspiracy to distribute marijuana, money laundering, interstate transportation of firearms, and possession of untraceable weapons. If convicted, many face decades behind bars, with federal sentencing guidelines slamming drug kingpins with long mandatory terms. The takedown marks one of the most extensive federal operations targeting West Coast-to-East Coast cannabis trafficking in recent years.
Related Federal Cases
- Dwight Singletary II, McKenzie Coles Lead Cross-Country Pot Empire · New York
- CA Man Pleads Guilty to Cross-Country Drug Ring · New Jersey
- Duangtavilay, Vongxay Lead 12 in $5M Pot Conspiracy · New York
- Kenya Brown Gets 20 Years for Armed Cocaine Empire · New York
- Anthony Wills Sentenced in Pot and Cash Conspiracy · Nevada
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Weapons|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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