Talladega Organization Charged with Narcotics Trafficking

TALLADEGA, Ala. – A federal grand jury has indicted seven men for distribution of methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine across the Northern District of Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Drug Enforcement Administration Assistant Special Agent in Charge John M. Clayton.

Separate but related indictments filed in U.S. District Court charge the seven members of the drug trafficking organization.  Four Talladega men were charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine: Flemmings Chatman, 41; LaDaraious Q. Brown, 32; Tramarcus Fomby, 29; and Robert Houston, Jr., 55.  Three other men were charged with distribution of methamphetamine: Kenneth Honneycutt, 30, of Birmingham; Elijah Brown, 35, of Tuscaloosa, and Brian J. Whatley, 45, of Talladega. 

These indictments and investigation are part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice.  Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational organized crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to enforcement.  OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term enterprise investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.

The DEA and the Talladega County Drug Task Force led the investigation along with the 7th Judicial Major Crimes Unit, Talladega Sheriff’s Office, Talladega Police Department, West Alabama Narcotics Task Force, Pell City Police Department, Jasper Police Department, Oxford Police Department, Alabama State Probation Office, and the Alabama National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. 

An indictment contains only charges.  A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  Assistant United States Attorney Alan S. Kirk is prosecuting the case