Op Sweet Silence Defendant Pleads Guilty, Agrees to Serve 20 Years in Prison

COLUMBUS, Ga. –  A Columbus resident, arrested and prosecuted under the multi-agency law enforcement effort called Operation Sweet Silence, confessed to leading a major drug trafficking conspiracy in the community and agreed to serve 20 years in prison under a binding plea agreement with the final two co-defendants entering guilty pleas in federal court late Friday.

Tommie Mullins, Jr. aka “TJ” aka “Bo” aka “Mini,” 31, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute before U.S. District Judge Clay Land on May 6. As part of his binding plea agreement, Mullins will serve 20 years in prison to be followed by ten years of supervised release.

Nine co-defendants pleaded guilty:

Trenton Thomas aka Bubbles, 25, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute and two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 9 and faces a maximum of life imprisonment;

Trenton Clemons, 48, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 9 and faces a maximum of life imprisonment;

Adrian Palmer aka AP, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on May 6 and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years imprisonment;

Darius Jenkins, 23, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine on April 25 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment;

Christopher Hill, 36, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of use of a communication facility to facilitate drug felony on April 25 and faces a maximum of four years imprisonment;

Corey Turner aka “Lito” aka “Lito Red,” 33, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess controlled substances with intent to distribute on April 22 and faces a mandatory minimum of ten years up to a maximum of life imprisonment;

Anthony Champion, 45, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment;

Javonta Paden, 24, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment; and

Adrian Pleasants, 29, of Columbus, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana on April 22 and faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

The sentencing for Mullins and his co-defendants is scheduled for Aug. 7. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Armed criminal organizations that traffic methamphetamine and large quantities of illicit drugs pose a serious threat to the safety of our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney C. Shanelle Booker. “Our office is dedicated to collaborating with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners to dismantle criminal organizations and hold their associates accountable.”

“Illicit drugs devastate our communities, resulting in significant suffering by those addicted and their families,” said FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “We will continue to work with our federal, state and local partners to prevent this poison from finding its way onto our streets.”

“The DEA is deploying all resources available to combat criminal organizations that are destroying our communities with drugs, guns and violence,” said Jae W. Chung, the Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

“This is a huge victory for the citizens we serve,” said Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman. “There is strength in collaboration when we combine our resources to go after criminal enterprises involving street gangs, drug dealers and convicted felons. We will continue this fight for safer streets and a safer community.”

According to court documents and statements referenced in court, federal and local law enforcement conducted Operation Sweet Silence from Aug. 2022 until May 2024, an extensive investigation into the illegal activities of the Zohannon criminal street gang involving armed drug trafficking. Mullins coordinated multiple drug transactions with co-conspirators in Columbus and drug suppliers elsewhere, including a major supplier in Seattle, Washington, for the distribution of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Under surveillance, investigators determined that Mullins used his Cove Circle residence—where he resided with his brother, co-conspirator Turner—as a primary distribution location frequented by members of his drug trafficking organization. Based on intercepted calls during a court-authorized wiretap, FBI and DEA agents learned co-conspirators facilitated and received directions from Turner and Mullins to conduct drug transactions on their behalf. For example, on March 7 and 18, 2023, federal agents monitored the coordination and delivery of a one-kilogram methamphetamine package from California via the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to a house on Urban Avenue in Columbus used by Turner and his co-conspirators.

On March 22, 2023, co-conspirators Trenton Thomas, Paden, Pleasants and Palmer, flew to Seattle, Washington, to purchase marijuana and transport it back to Columbus. Before the trip, intercepted calls between Thomas and a middleman in Seattle, Washington, discussed arrangements for the purchase of 300 pounds of marijuana from a Hispanic supplier in Seattle, and that Mullins was supposed to communicate with the middleman. Mullins received incoming calls from the Hispanic supplier during this time. The four co-conspirators were taken into custody by the FBI at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport two days later; eight pieces of luggage were seized containing 232 pounds of marijuana. The marijuana seizure then triggered a series of calls and messages over court-authorized wiretaps and the Muscogee County Jail (MCJ) communication system between co-conspirators, including Clemons, and others expressing frustration over the marijuana seizure.

Clemons was also a known distributor in the Mullins drug trafficking organization. On April 15, 2024, FBI and DEA agents surveilled Mullins and Clemons to travel from Columbus to a music studio in Atlanta and meet with a co-conspirator. A few hours later, a GMC Denali arrived across the street; the co-conspirator retrieved three large bags, including a green gift bag, from the GMC Denali and returned inside the studio. Mullins and Clemons then exited the studio carrying the same green gift bag. Clemons emptied the contents of the green gift bag into a blue suitcase and placed the suitcase into Mullins’ vehicle. Mullins then dropped Clemons at the Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta; Clemons subsequently caught a Groome transportation bus back to Columbus with the blue suitcase. Agents were waiting at the Groome headquarters in Columbus when the shuttle arrived approximately two hours later; they observed Clemons exit the bus, retrieve the blue suitcase, and place it in a car driven by a woman. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle and based on the positive alert by a drug canine, agents searched and located 3,952 grams of methamphetamine separated into four bags inside the blue suitcase. Clemons was arrested.

Mullins and Palmer shared a source of supply located on the West Coast. A search warrant was executed for Mullins’ Instagram account, which found a series of messages between Mullins and a West Coast supplier of marijuana between April 23, 2023, and May 18, 2023. Subsequent intercepts with others, including Palmer, showed several drug conversations for “squares” (usually denotes a pound or kilogram of hard narcotics, typically methamphetamine) and marijuana. A conversation involving Palmer discussed “loading up on these squares” and getting “about 10 of them” to recoup some money they lost from the large marijuana seizure.

Palmer utilized co-defendant Jenkins to distribute methamphetamine and marijuana. Palmer was arrested at Club Hill Apartments on Sept. 27, 2023, in possession of drugs, a digital scale and plastic baggies. FBI located approximately a kilogram of methamphetamine in his car, packaged in 33 separate baggies. Inside his apartment, agents located a plastic container and spoons with suspected methamphetamine residue, over 50 pouches of prepackaged suspected marijuana and other drug paraphernalia.

On Sept. 24, 2023, Turner was arrested during a traffic stop by the Columbus Police Department, where he was the front seat passenger. At the time, Turner tossed a stolen, loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the window. Turner possessed 439 grams of marijuana and two baggies of cocaine.

Agents intercepted calls with Champion in March 2023, who was seeking to purchase a half-kilogram of cocaine. Under surveillance, agents observed a co-conspirator visit a trap house operated by other co-conspirators and then enter Champion’s car; Champion was recorded shortly later calling the co-conspirator to complain about the contents and the weight of the drug package, stating, “This ain’t even a whole, it’s a half” and returning to the trap house. A later call discussed arrangements to meet the co-conspirator to remedy the drug shortage.

On Oct. 5, 2022, Mullins was at the Sacramento International Airport when a canine alerted to the presence of narcotics in Mullins’ suitcase. A search of that suitcase revealed over $29,000 in cash, which was confiscated as suspected drug proceeds. Federal agents discovered messages in Mullins’ Instagram account related to the Sacramento search and seizure as part of this investigation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

The case was investigated by FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office with critical assistance from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office; the Russell County, Alabama, Sheriff’s Office; the Coweta County Sheriff’s Office; the Sacramento County, California, Sheriff’s Office; and the Muscogee County District Attorney’s Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica Hansis of the Middle District of Georgia and Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case for the Government.