DUBLIN, GA: With a final guilty plea to federal charges entered in U.S. District Court, all charges have been resolved against 30 defendants involved in a Laurens County methamphetamine-trafficking ring indicted just over a year ago.
Robert Anthony Justice, 38, of Chester, Ga., awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to Use of Communication Facility, related to using a cell phone to conduct illegal drug trafficking activity, said David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
With Justice’s plea, 25 of 30 indicted defendants in Operation Monroe Doctrine have pled guilty; four defendants entered Pre-Trial Diversion; and one defendant passed away.
“Operation Monroe Doctrine is a textbook example of a well-coordinated law enforcement operation to identify and shut down a major drug-trafficking conspiracy and alleviate the violent crime it spawned throughout the Dublin area,” said U.S. Attorney Estes.
The indictment of 30 defendants in USA v. Monroe et. al, dubbed Operation Monroe Doctrine, was handed down by a U.S. District Court Grand Jury in July 2021. The operation was the culmination of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation that identified a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy throughout Laurens and Telfair counties and beyond, operating from at least January 2020 through January 2021.
As described in court documents and testimony, the defendants coordinated to import and distribute illegal drugs throughout the greater Dublin and Laurens County community.
David Alex Monroe, 32, of Dexter, Ga., the leader of the local drug trafficking organization, is serving 84 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of his plea agreement, Monroe forfeited a machine gun, an illegal short-barrel rifle, and two silencers seized during the investigation, and abandoned his interest in 54 additional firearms.
Jorge Hernandez-Pena, 46, of Atlanta, the conspiracy’s source of supply, is serving 240 months in prison, followed by deportation after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
David Kates, 46, a Jamaican citizen who was incarcerated at Rogers State Prison, is serving 108 months in prison, followed by deportation after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
Christopher Forbes, 31, of Dublin, is serving 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine. As part of his plea agreement, Forbes forfeited his interest in 21 firearms and two silencers seized during the investigation.
Carl Davis, 48, of Jacksonville, Fla., is serving 88 months in prison after pleading guilty to Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Methamphetamine.
“Prior to the people of Laurens County electing me as sheriff, I promised I would work hard to eliminate the dangerous drug dealers from our community,” said Laurens County Sheriff Larry Dean.
The insidious drug methamphetamine destroys families and communities,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division.
Related Federal Cases
- Robert Lee Smith, III, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Georgia 2022 · Georgia
- Daniel Jeffers, Methamphetamine Trafficking, Georgia 2024 · Georgia
- Operation Snowplow II, Cocaine Trafficking, Georgia 2022 · Georgia
- Humberto Morales, Drug Trafficking, Tennessee 2021 · New York
- Gerardo Cervantes-Valenzuela, Conspiracy to Possess Meth, Texas 2023 · New York
Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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