KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Federal agents have pulled the trigger on a massive drug operation, slapping eleven alleged kingpins with serious federal charges for their roles in a heroin and fentanyl distribution conspiracy that has terrorized the Eastern District of Tennessee.
On April 2, 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against Darrle Wade Harris, Cordarryl Wade Harris, Ronald Anthony Thompson, DeAirrus Jamar Taylor, Deshawn Lee Greene, Jamal Mylen McDonald, Raynell Eugene McDonald, Raphiel Antwon Thompson, Robert Lee-Rogener McDonald, Keith Madison, and Sherard Ramon Taylor for their alleged roles in the trafficking of deadly substances.
The defendants, aged between 22 and 54, are accused of conspiring to distribute at least 100 grams of heroin or 40 grams of fentanyl. The charges carry a heavy penalty: if convicted, each faces a minimum mandatory sentence of five years and up to forty years in the slammer, not to mention supervised release and a staggering fine of $5 million.
The indictment was recently unsealed, with trial set for June 18, 2019, before U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan. This operation is a testament to the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program’s relentless pursuit of drug trafficking networks.
The investigation, led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and multiple local law enforcement agencies, has been a collaborative effort involving state and federal forces such as the FBI, ATF, IRS-Criminal Investigation, and DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Quencer will argue the case for the United States in court.
As always, members of the public are reminded that an indictment is merely an accusation, and each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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