DUBLIN, GA: A Laurens County man involved in a now-defunct drug trafficking conspiracy has been sentenced to prison, joining the other seven defendants identified in the investigation.
Quaveris Leshaun Mims, a/k/a “Strong”, 51, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 108 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine, Jill E .Steinberg, US Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. US District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Mims $2,000 and ordered that he be released under supervision after serving three years in prison. There is no probation in the federal system.
“A joint effort by multiple law enforcement agencies has identified and shut down this prolific drug trafficking network in central Georgia,” US Attorney Steinberg said. “These eight guilty pleas reflect the continued hard work and commitment of our law enforcement partners to keep their communities safer.”
Operation “The Hole” was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation coordinated by agents from the US Drug Enforcement Administration along with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force. The investigation targeted a drug trafficking ring that was bringing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana into the Laurens County area as early as 2017.
The investigation identified a small, out-of-the-way concrete block building called “The Hole” that was used as a “fall house” or central distribution location, complete with a retail-style service counter for drug transactions.
While executing multiple federal search warrants, agents seized methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana and two dozen firearms, nearly $37,000 in cash, silver bars valued at an estimated $73,000, cocaine block presses, pill presses, and a stolen vehicle and two stolen generators with lighting. When the eight suspects were arrested individually, more drugs, firearms and cash were discovered.
In addition to Mims, all seven co-defendants are serving federal prison terms after pleading guilty to the case:
- Rodney Jarrod Denson, a/k/a “RD”, 46, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 262 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Denson was a drug supplier to other defendants.
- Anthony Michael Denson, 51, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 92 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. He is Rodney Denson’s brother.
- Nicholas Turner, 27, of East Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 112 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.
- Brandon Payne, a/k/a “Tre”, 28, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 121 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Payne is a stepson of Rodney Denson.
- Constance Victoria Moore, 36, of McRae-Helena, Georgia, was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.
- Zandera Finney, 36, of Warner Robins, Georgia, was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges.
- Desergio Kates, a/k/a “Serg”, 26, of Dublin, Georgia, was sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Kates is a stepson of Rodney Denson.
“The leader of this once thriving drug trafficking organization has confessed to his crimes and will now pay the price,” said Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s Atlanta Field Division.
Operation The Hole was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the U.S. Department of Justice’s primary program to take down drug trafficking organizations in multiple jurisdictions. Agencies involved in the investigation include the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco, and Explosives (ATF); the FBI; the US Postal Inspection Service; the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office; Ocmulgee Drug Task Force; the Twigs County Sheriff’s Office; the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office; the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; the Washington County Sheriff’s Office; the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office; and the Warner Robins Police Department and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Rhodes, Henry W. Syms Jr. and Jeremiah L. Johnson.
