West Michigan methamphetamine ring dismantled
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Special Agent in Charge Timothy Plancon of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Detroit Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Timothy Slater of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Detroit Field Division and U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge announced today that eighteen individuals were charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances, primarily crystal methamphetamine. In conjunction with the arrests, federal, state and local law enforcement agencies executed 12 federal search warrants in Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor, Michigan, and Phoenix, Arizona. Earlier in the investigation, law enforcement seized packages sent in the mail to supply the distribution scheme in Michigan. In total, law enforcement has seized nearly 17 pounds of crystal methamphetamine and five firearms as a part of this investigation.
"Drug trafficking and violence often co-exist, which is why federal, state and local law enforcement made investigating and arresting this dangerous drug-trafficking organization a top priority," said Special Agent in Charge Plancon. "Today, Western Michigan communities can rest assured their neighborhoods are safer because of these efforts."
"I am grateful to federal, state and local law enforcement for today’s diligent and professional operation," said U.S. Attorney Birge. "Drug trafficking is a dangerous business that ruins lives in our communities every day. Kalamazoo, Benton Harbor, and the rest of the Western District are safer today without pounds of crystal methamphetamine flowing onto their streets."
The following individuals were charged:
• Raymond Demetrius Stovall, 28, of Benton Harbor
• Richard Lee James Jr., 27, of Benton Harbor
• Kentrell Terome Dunn, 32, of Phoenix, Arizona
• David Richard Uminn, 34, of Kalamazoo
• Andrew Peter Bagley, 29, of Kalamazoo
• Robert Bruce Armstrong, 64, of Kalamazoo
• Kandy Kay Kirby, 46, of Kalamazoo
• Eshawn Jamier Whiteside, 20, of Kalamazoo
• Aaron Earl Rimpson, 27, of Kalamazoo
• DeMichael Mishaun Horn, 19, of Benton Harbor
• Michael Dewayne Horn, 19, of Benton Harbor
• Scotty Deandre-Marcus Campbell, 26, of Benton Harbor
• Ronald Eugene Goodloe Jr., 29, of Benton Harbor
• Richard Farmer Sr., 43, of Atlanta, Georgia
• Daisy Laverne Dyer, 42, of Benton Harbor
• Michael John Marcon, 32, of Kalamazoo
• Ronnie Deval Smith, Jr., 24, of Kalamazoo
• Tremain Lamar Braxton, 30, of Benton Harbor
"Today’s charges send a strong message that methamphetamine traffickers face severe consequences for the real harm that they inflict on our Michigan families," said Special Agent in Charge Slater. "The FBI’s overall success to defeat drug dealers who prey on communities, through the distribution of deadly substances, requires joint cooperation with our federal and local law enforcement partners."
The FBI is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Scotty Deandre-Marcus Campbell of Benton Harbor, Michigan:
The charges in the complaint are merely accusations and are not evidence of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case is being investigated by the FBI, the DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Kalamazoo Valley Enforcement Team and the Southwest Enforcement Team (a component of the Michigan State Police), who were assisted in executing the arrest and search warrants by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Michigan Department of Corrections, the Portage Police Department, the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office, the Berrien County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin M. Presant and Mark V. Courtade.
