MACON, Georgia – Two co-conspirators from an armed drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing 16 kilograms of methamphetamine in central Georgia recently had court hearings.
Tamara Hall, 40, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release after previously pleading guilty on April 19, 2022 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it . Benjamin Luopa , 48, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a communications device. Luopa faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison, followed by one year of supervised release and a $250,000 fine for each charge. The hearings took place May 25 before US District Judge Tilman E. “Tripp” Self III. Luopa’s sentencing is scheduled for September 7th. There is no probation in the federal system.
“Tamara Hall played an important role in helping co-conspirator Ontarrio Veal’s armed criminal organization smuggle many kilograms of methamphetamine into the Warner Robins area,” said US Attorney Peter D. Leary. “With the rise of fentanyl, it’s no secret that street drugs are even more dangerous, and the other crimes developing around this scale of armed drug trafficking are all contributing to community erosion.” Thanks to the efforts of the task force on Fighting organized drug-related crime has cut off a significant portion of methamphetamine supply, making the community safer.”
“This investigation deals a fatal blow to a once-thriving meth ring,” said Robert J. Murphy, the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division special agent in charge. “Citizens of Warner Robins and elsewhere can rest assured that their communities are much safer today thanks to excellent casework from the DEA and our local law enforcement partners.”
“ATF views the Organized Crime Task Force as an important partner in its long-term mission to purge armed gangs, criminals and drug traffickers from our communities,” said Beau Kolodka, Deputy Special Counsel for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Atlanta Field Division.
“The Warner Robins Police Department is honored to have worked with our federal partners on the Organized Drug Crime Task Force that led to the outcome of this case,” said Deputy Chief Wayne Fisher of the Warner Robins Police Department. “Through such local, state and federal partnerships, such impact can be achieved. It was the great work and dedication of the men and women of this task force that led to these arrests that will have an immeasurable impact on the well-being of our collective communities.”
According to the documents and other evidence admissible to the court, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents and Warner Robins Police Department officers investigated Warner Robins-based Ontario Veal drug trafficking organization from January to June 2020. Law enforcement obtained court orders to intercept the phone calls and text messages from Veal and Hall’s cell phones. Agents learned that Veal was a multi-kilogram methamphetamine dealer and monitored Veal, Hall and various co-defendants who were conducting methamphetamine transactions and traveling to Atlanta to purchase large quantities of methamphetamine.
Kalbfleisch was arrested in June 2020 on a return trip from Atlanta in possession of three kilograms of methamphetamine and a .40 caliber Glock semi-automatic pistol with a 50-round drum magazine. At various locations in central Georgia, officers executed search warrants and seized multiple firearms and ammunition, methamphetamine and more than $100,000 in cash. Hall is blamed for distributing 10 pounds of methamphetamine. The organization is responsible for distributing more than 16 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The following co-defendants have pleaded guilty and/or have been convicted:
Ontarrio Veal aka “Torrie”, 33, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty on November 15, 2022 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it and was sentenced to 420 months in prison followed by release under supervision of four years sentenced April 4;
Matthew Kay, 36, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it on September 6, 2022 and was sentenced to 235 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release three consecutive years of sentences he is currently serving as of January 19 in Houston County, Georgia;
Reginald Lowe, 41, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty on August 30, 2022 to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it and was sentenced to 240 months in prison followed by four years of supervised release, serving consecutively to to one year of the state sentence he is currently serving in Houston County, Georgia, for a felony assault conviction on December 6, 2022;
Milton Simmons aka Mann, 41, of Macon, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on August 1, 2022 and was sentenced to 120 months in prison on January 10;
Donna Ussery, 31, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute it on April 19, 2022 and was sentenced to 100 months in prison on October 4, 2022;
Parsa Ervin, 45, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to two counts of using a communications device to possess conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine on August 30, 2022 and was sentenced to 57 months in prison followed by an additional year of supervised parole , which may be imposed on January 19 in three separate cases in Houston County;
Marquell Gaines aka Paris, 38, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty on July 19, 2022 to using a communications device to possess property conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 48 months in prison on October 11, 2022;
Victor Mendoza, 34, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess drugs on December 1, 2022 under a global plea deal in the Southern District of Alabama; sentencing scheduled for June 2; And
Eddie Linkhorn, 42, of Warner Robins, pleaded guilty on October 20, 2022 to two counts of using a communications device to possess a conspiracy with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is scheduled for June 6.
This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, dismantles and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a prosecutorial-led, intelligence-led, and multi-agency approach. For more information about the OCDETF program, visit https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) and the Warner Robins Police Department.
The case was being prosecuted by Assistant Detective Chief Will Keyes.
