News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2007

Three Palm Beach County Gang Members Sentenced on Cocaine Charges

FEB 5 -- Mark R. Trouville, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Miami Field Division, R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Ric Bradshaw, Sheriff, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Larry Shroeder, Chief, Delray Beach Police Department, and Frank Kitzerow, Chief, Jupiter Police Department, announced that on February 1, 2007, Winfred Lorenzo Hunt, Leonard Allen, Jr., and Carlton Potts were sentenced for their roles in a major crack cocaine and powder cocaine distribution ring operating in Palm Beach County, Florida. Hunt and Allen each received life imprisonment and Potts was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment. Sixteen other individuals have also been sentenced in connection with this case, receiving sentences ranging from 2 years to 10 years.

These convictions and sentences were the result of a year-long investigation, named Operation Magnum Force, into a major crack cocaine and powder cocaine ring that operated between Delray Beach and Jupiter. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that Potts supplied Hunt with 2 to 3 kilograms of powder cocaine a week, over a period of approximately ten months. Hunt converted most of the cocaine into crack cocaine and sold it from various locations in Delray Beach. A portion of the crack cocaine was sent to Jupiter, where it was sold by Allen and others. Trial testimony revealed that Hunt was selling between 1.5 to 2 kilograms of crack cocaine and between 1/2 to 1 kilogram of powder cocaine a week at a time.

"The sentences handed down in this case send the message that drug trafficking is a life changing event," said DEA Special Agent in Charge Mark R. Trouville. "Life behind bars is appropriate for drug traffickers who deal in death and destruction. The DEA and our local counterparts will continue to aggressively pursue those who peddle drugs in our communities."

U.S. Attorney Acosta stated, "With two of today's defendants facing life imprisonment, and a third facing 20 years' imprisonment, today's case is an example of the severe consequences that those who deal drugs in our neighborhoods may face when they are prosecuted federally." Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the DEA, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, Delray Beach Police Department and the Jupiter Police Department for their work on this matter.