Eight men and one woman have been indicted in connection with trafficking cocaine and other drugs from Atlanta to Waynesboro, Ga.
Those indicted include Chadric Antonio Rhaney, 41, of Atlanta; Joseph Lee Ellison Jr, 38, of Waynesboro; Ossawa Jones, 44, of Augusta; Nathaniel Golden, 67, of Waynesboro; Ricardo DeAngelo Norman, 33, of Augusta; Richard Sears Adams, 36, of Waynesboro; Christopher Thomas Mobley, 37, of Waynesboro; Trevor Watson, 30, of Sylvania, Ga.; and Claudine Noella Sinclair, 47, of Covington, Ga. They each face up to 20 years in federal prison along with financial penalties for charges such as drug possession with intent to distribute, drug trafficking and several firearm related offenses.
If convicted, each would have to complete a period of supervised release after completing their individual sentences.
All of the defendants are currently in federal custody and receiving their initial appearances in U.S. District Court.
The indictments follow a collaborative effort by several state and federal law enforcement agencies in an investigation known as Operation Washout.
“The success of this 18-month investigation is an outstanding example of the partnership of our local, state and federal law enforcement agencies working together to protect our community from illegal drugs, illegally possessed firearms, and the violent crime that accompanies them,” said Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams. “The citizens of Burke County greatly appreciate the resources and assistance from our federal partners, including the DEA, in keeping our neighborhoods safe.”
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Operation Washout represents an important part of the coordinated attacks on narcotics in Burke, Richmond, Screven and McDuffie counties and many other areas in the Southern District, according to Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, David H. Estes.
Burke County Sheriff’s Office investigators worked alongside the DEA to identify the defendants in this case, while federal law enforcement agencies gathered information about the cocaine trafficking from Mexico, through California to Atlanta and eventually leading to Burke County. The efforts of these organizations ultimately lead to the searches and seizures of drugs, cash and firearms.
“The mission of DEA is unwavering – we relentlessly pursue drug traffickers whose poison destroys lives and causes immeasurable damage to our communities,” said the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division Robert J. Murphy. “This violent poly-drug trafficking organization can no longer peddle poison in Burke County and elsewhere. The success of this investigation is a shining example of how DEA and its law enforcement partners work collaboratively to protect our communities.”
