Two People Convicted of Conspiring to Sell Methamphetamine in East Alabama

            MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA – On July 11, 2023, a federal jury in Opelika, Alabama convicted Andre Tremayne Franklin, 38, from Columbus, Georgia, and Kahlia Nichelle Washington, 27, from Phenix City, Alabama, for their roles in an east Alabama drug trafficking operation, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Stewart.

            According to court records and evidence presented at trial, the DEA began an investigation of a suspected drug trafficking operation in 2020. The investigation eventually revealed that a Columbus, Georgia man, Justin Garrett, 30, was supplying methamphetamine and cocaine to Franklin and others to be resold. The jury heard evidence that Franklin would commonly store and sell the illegal drugs in  a “stash house” in Phenix City. Washington helped Franklin run the stash house and would contact Franklin when customers would arrive. Garrett pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute on June 22, 2023, and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 5, 2023. A sentencing date for Franklin and Washington will be set in the coming months. At sentencing, Franklin and Garrett each face a sentence of up to life in prison. Washington could receive a sentence of anywhere from 5 to 40 years. The following provides more detail on the statuses of five additional defendants involved in the operation:

• On June 22, 2023, Xavier Toombs, 35, a resident of Phenix City, Alabama, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

• Also on June 22, 2023, Ryan Brown, 33, another resident of Phenix City, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

• On June 23, 2023, Torrez Jenkins, 28, a resident of Jonesboro, Georgia, was sentenced to 64 months in prison for conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute. He pleaded guilty to the charge on March 6, 2023.

• On June 27, 2023, Lorenzo Miles, 34, a resident of Columbus, Georgia, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

• On June 28, 2023, Khourtney Jakeith Brown, 34, another resident of Phenix City, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and is facing a maximum sentence of life in prison.

            United States Attorney Stewart thanks all of the agencies involved in this investigation, including the DEA; the FBI; the United States Marshals Service; the Auburn Police Division; the Eufaula Police Department; the Phenix City Police Department; the Henry County Sheriff’s Office; the Russell County Sheriff’s Office; the Columbus, Georgia Police Department; and the Muscogee County, Georgia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin P. Davidson and Brett J. Talley are prosecuting the case.