United States Drug Enforcement Administration

AUGUSTA, GA -  Eight men and one woman have been named in a newly unsealed federal indictment for taking part in a major drug trafficking conspiracy that funneled cocaine and other drugs from Atlanta to the Waynesboro, Ga., area.

The indictment in USA v. Rhaney et al, dubbed Operation Washout, represents a significant, coordinated attack on narcotics distribution in Burke, Richmond, Screven and McDuffie counties and other parts of the Southern District, said David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. The primary charge in the indictment, Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana, carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of up to 20 years in federal prison, along with substantial financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

“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 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s (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.”

“Close collaboration between local, state and federal law enforcement partners has yielded tremendous success in identifying and shutting down these operations that funnel poison into our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who would endanger our citizens through drug trafficking and its related pathologies.”

Operation Washout was coordinated through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces as the Augusta Office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration developed information about cocaine trafficking from Mexico, through California to Atlanta, and then primarily to distributors in Burke County. Investigators from the Burke County Sheriff’s Office then worked with the DEA to develop the investigation that identified the defendants and led to searches and subsequent seizures of cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana, drug trafficking paraphernalia, cash, and more than two dozen firearms.

 “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.”

The federally charged defendants all are in custody and are receiving initial appearances in U.S. District Court. They include:

Chadric Antonio Rhaney, a/k/a “Chad,” 41, of Atlanta, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and five counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility, a charge related to the use of cell phones to facilitate the conspiracy;

Joseph Lee Ellison Jr., a/k/a “Peanut,” 38, of Waynesboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and eight counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility;

Ossawa Jones, a/k/a “Wash,” 44, of Augusta, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; five counts of Distribution of Cocaine; and 15 counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility;

Nathaniel Golden, a/k/a “Geese,” 67, of Waynesboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine; and two counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility;

Ricardo DeAngelo Norman, 33, of Augusta, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Crack Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm by an Unlawful Drug User; and Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime;

Richard Sears Adams, a/k/a “Moot,” 36, of Waynesboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine; Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine and Crack Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; and two counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility;

Christopher Thomas Mobley, a/k/a “PJ,” 37, of Waynesboro, charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility;

Trevor Watson, 30, of Sylvania, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Crack Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm by an Illegal Drug User; and two counts of Unlawful Use of Communication Facility; and,

Claudine Noella Sinclair, a/k/a “Annie,” 47, of Covington, Ga., charged with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute Cocaine, Crack Cocaine, and Marijuana; and two counts of Unlawful Use of a Communication Facility.

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Additional defendants also face state charges in the investigation.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

Agencies investigating Operation Washout include the DEA and the Burke County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Probation Service, the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the Screven County Sheriff’s Office, the McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office, the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney Henry W. Syms Jr.

The DEA encourages parents, along with their children, to educate themselves about the dangers of legal and illegal drugs by visiting DEA’s interactive websites at www.JustThinkTwice.com, www.GetSmartAboutDrugs.com, www.CampusDrugPrevention.gov, and www.dea.gov. Also follow DEA Atlanta via Twitter at @DEAATLANTADiv

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