BEAUMONT, Texas – Another East Texas dealer is off the streets. Tremaine Smith, 27, of Nacogdoches, received a 63-month federal prison sentence today for his role in a multi-year drug trafficking operation, U.S. Attorney John M. Bales announced.
Smith pleaded guilty September 5, 2012, to possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. The case, heard before U.S. District Judge Ron Clark, reveals a conspiracy stretching back to 2008, involving a network of ten individuals flooding East Texas with cocaine and its derivative.
Court documents detail how Smith operated as a key converter within the organization. He allegedly sourced powder cocaine from Cedrick Fowler, a.k.a. “C” and “C-Murder,” and transformed it into crack cocaine base for redistribution throughout the region. The operation involved Donald Dixon, a.k.a. “Black”, Kerry Wayne Griffin, a.k.a. “Big Boy”, Omar Paunetto, Jose Angel Bustillos, Michael John Pereira, Rodney Stevenson, a.k.a. “Arod”, Darius Thorn, a.k.a. “Bs” and “Beez”, and Anthony Fowler.
A ten-count federal grand jury indictment, returned June 20, 2012, charged all ten defendants with various drug trafficking violations. The investigation, spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration alongside the Nacogdoches Police Department and Nacogdoches County Sheriff’s Office, is part of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) initiative.
OCDETF focuses on dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and disrupting the flow of illegal narcotics. This case underscores the program’s commitment to targeting not just street-level dealers, but the entire infrastructure supporting the drug trade. The DEA and local law enforcement worked together to unravel this network.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Baylor Wortham prosecuted the case. Smith’s 63-month sentence sends a clear message: trafficking drugs in East Texas carries significant federal penalties. The Grimy Times will continue to follow the cases of the remaining defendants as they move through the legal system.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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