ALBANY, NY – A Brooklyn woman has confessed to her role in a sprawling, nationwide marijuana trafficking ring that flooded multiple states with tons of the drug and laundered the dirty money through a complex network. Onisha Smith, 41, pled guilty today to conspiring to distribute marijuana and conspiring to commit money laundering, admitting she was a key cog in an operation that spanned from California to the Capital Region.
Federal prosecutors revealed Smith was part of an organization that shipped over 294 kilograms – roughly 648 pounds – of marijuana and THC from Fresno, California, between 2017 and 2022. The operation relied on shipments via UPS and FedEx, originating from a shipping store called Fast Pack & Ship, managed by Dwight A. Singletary II, aka “Nutt” and “Mike Jones,” and McKenzie Merrialice Coles, aka “Kenzie.” Smith, along with her brother, Lateek White, served as crucial receiving points in Brooklyn, accepting dozens of packages at their apartments.
The scope of Smith and White’s involvement is staggering: they received a total of 71 packages. But the trafficking wasn’t just about moving product. Smith also actively laundered the proceeds, purchasing cashier’s checks with cash generated from marijuana sales and depositing funds into her bank accounts, then transferring the money to Singletary. She also directly received payments for marijuana and funneled them to the operation’s kingpins.
Smith now faces a potentially lengthy prison sentence. She could receive up to 20 years behind bars on each of the two counts to which she pled guilty. The potential fines are substantial – up to $1 million for the marijuana conspiracy and $500,000 for the money laundering charge. Following her prison term, she faces a period of supervised release ranging from three years to life. Sentencing will be determined by a judge, considering federal guidelines and other relevant factors.
Smith is one of 21 individuals indicted in connection with this large-scale criminal enterprise, which involved not only drug trafficking and money laundering but also firearms offenses. Singletary and Coles have pled not guilty and await trial. Several other defendants – Rosemary Coles, Latrice Mumphrey, Sammy Olague, Victor Turner, Kristle Walker, Ruby Ledesma, and Jazell Shuler – have already admitted guilt and are awaiting sentencing. Lateek White is also among those who have pled guilty.
The investigation, spearheaded by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Troy Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is part of a broader Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. This task force is designed to dismantle major drug trafficking organizations by combining the resources of multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cyrus P.W. Rieck and Dustin C. Segovia are prosecuting the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Onisha Smith, Marijuana Trafficking, New York 2024 · California
- Onisha Smith, Marijuana Trafficking, New York 2024 · California
- Anthony Wills, Marijuana Trafficking and Money Laundering, NY 2016 · Illinois
- Phoumano Duangtavilay, Marijuana Trafficking, NY 2023 · California
- Dwight A. Singletary II, Marijuana Trafficking, Nationwide 2023 · California
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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