BRUNSWICK, Ga. — Seven people have been sentenced for their involvement in a "massive, gang-related drug trafficking conspiracy" in South Georgia, as more individuals are awaiting sentencing or are going through "court proceedings," the Department of Justice announced Tuesday.
The conspiracy has been dubbed the name, 'Operation Ghost Busted,' and was unsealed in January 2023 as USA v. Alvarez et al. 76 people were charged with having involvement in the operation as it was linked to the white supremacist group, Ghost Face Gangsters – who distributed large amounts of high-grade methamphetamine, along with fentanyl, heroin and alprazolam in the greater Glynn County area, the DOJ news release states.
The release states that the "incarcerated leader," 26-year-old James D. NeSmith, is among the seven who have been sentenced. NeSmith, who is also known as "DG," is already serving a life sentence for murder at Telfair State Prison, and was sentenced to a consecutive term of life in federal prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia Jill E. Steinberg said in the release.
NeSmith’s mother and sister also are being prosecuted for participation in the "largest-ever indictment in the [DOJ's] Southern District of Georgia," the release states. And authorities are seeking "fugitive," David D. Young, also known as “Khaos,” of Hortense, Ga., on multiple federal charges, the release also states.
U.S. District Court Judge Lisa Godbey Wood ordered that NeSmith would begin his additional life sentence if he is released from state custody and that he would be housed at a facility no less than 500 miles from his Brunswick residence, according to the news release.
For more than two years, the release states that investigators from the FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, the Glynn County Police Department, the Brunswick Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff's Office and the Camden County Sheriff's Office, collaborated with multiple federal, state and local agencies to identify the drug trafficking network operating in multiple south Georgia counties. The network operated inside and outside of Georgia prisons, coordinated by members of the 'Ghost Face Gangsters' who worked with affiliates of other criminal street gangs including the Aryan Brotherhood, Bloods and Gangster Disciples, the release states. NeSmith is a member of the Gangster Disciples, according to the release.
“James NeSmith’s sentence and others in this case represent significant milestones in this effort to dismantle a major drug trafficking operation in south Georgia,” Steinberg said in the release. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to disrupt traffickers as they distribute deadly, addictive drugs and endanger the safety of our communities and prison facilities.”
Other "key figures" found guilty in the operation include:
- Desiree M. Briley, 26, of McRae-Helena, Ga., was sentenced to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine. Briley was a guard at Telfair State Prison where she helped move contraband into the facility at NeSmith’s direction, the release states.
- John E. Harrison, 26, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 190 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 5 grams or more of methamphetamine. Harrison acted with others as a courier and drug distributor in the conspiracy, the release states.
- Charles W. Walrath, also known as “Boomer,” 52, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 144 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Walrath was identified as a mid-level drug distributor in the conspiracy, the release states.
- Clinton Taylor, 34, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 105 months in prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Taylor, who illegally possessed an SKS assault-style rifle, has two prior convictions for illegal firearms possession and faces state charges related to a machete attack on a Brunswick resident, the release states.
- Marissa D. Davis, 32, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 97 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl. Davis worked with Walrath and others as an illegal drug distributor, the release states.
- Wendell McClain, 35, of Brunswick, was sentenced to 96 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine.
- Rachael P. Byrd, also known as “Byrd is the Word,” 26, of Brunswick, awaits sentencing after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Byrd served as a leader in the drug trafficking organization, relaying instructions from her boyfriend, NeSmith, distributing multiple kilos of methamphetamine to distributors and dozens of street-level dealers, and delivering contraband to Briley for delivery to NeSmith in prison, the release states.
“Gangs that operate out of our prison systems not only bring drugs and violence into prison facilities – they also breed drug-fueled violence in our communities,” Will Clarke, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent of FBI Atlanta’s Savannah Office said in the release. “We are committed to dismantling violent gangs like the Ghost Face Gangsters and holding their members and those who conspire with them accountable for criminal conduct.”
