An indictment charging eighteen defendants with conspiracy to distribute cocaine and marijuana has been unsealed, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade announced yesterday. Ms. McQuade was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Robert Corso, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration; and Chief Ralph Godbee, Detroit Police Department.
This indictment charges eighteen defendants with conspiring to distribute cocaine and marijuana in Detroit over the past eleven years. All eighteen are alleged to be members of a national drug trafficking organization.
The eighteen defendants named in this indictment are:
- Shaun Devon Askew, a/k/a “Dot,” 28, of Detroit;
- Terrell Raynard Clark, 23, of Detroit
- Anthony Bernarde Edwards, a/k/a “Ant” and “Mick,” 40, of Southfield;
- Erika Royce Flowers, a/k/a “E,” 29, of Detroit;
- Thebera Shlanda Flowers, 47, of Detroit;
- Geoffrey Lamar Hightower, a/k/a “Chief,” 40, of Wayne;
- Carl Lee Jones, a/k/a “Pookie,” 30, of Farmington Hills;
- John Lighting, III, a/k/a “J-Rock,” 29, of Detroit;
- Malcolm Martines Long, a/k/a “Black,” 38, of Macomb Township;
- Terrence Lynn Pritchett, a/k/a “Cowboy” and “C-Bo,” 40, of Detroit;
- Johnny Richards, Jr., 43, of Roseville;
- Isaac Johnson Sheppard, 30, of Detroit;
- Daryl Keith Sewell, a/k/a “D-Nice,” 43, of Arizona;
- Kendrah Smartt, a/k/a “Old Girl,” 46, of Colorado;
- Dennis Cornelius Tate, a/k/a “Deezy” and “Terrence,” 36, of Belleville;
- Jaami Townsend, a/k/a “Jam,” 33, of Plymouth;
- Clarence Williamson, Jr., a/k/a “Dawg” and “Junior,” 48, of Southfield; and
- Denise Darrine Williamson, a/k/a “Neecey,” 42, of Detroit;.
Mr. Sheppard is in custody in Detroit, while Ms. Smartt is in custody in Nebraska.
“We need to find new ways to address gun, drug, and violent crimes,” Ms. McQuade said. “Our law enforcement agencies are working together to use our resources in strategic ways.”
“The FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners, particularly through our Violent Gang Task Force, and working with prosecutors to aggressively investigate drug dealing organizations,” Mr. Arena explained.
Mr. Corso added, “The arrests that stemmed from this investigation are strong examples of the positive results that can be achieved when state, local and federal law enforcement agencies work together to fight drug trafficking. The DEA will continue to work with our partners to make our community safer by focusing on dismantling violent drug organizations.”
The most serious charge in the indictment, conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of powder cocaine and more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, carries a penalty of 10 years to life imprisonment.
An indictment is a charging document and not evidence of guilt. Each and every defendant is presumed to be innocent. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Portelli.
