Press Release
Five People Sentenced for Smuggling Cocaine through Atlanta Airport
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia
ATLANTA - Walter Lee Parker, Paul Victor Wilson, a/k/a “Ivory Roberson,” Roelisha Housley, Janai Cavitt, and Kaprice Green, have been sentenced for participating in a conspiracy to distribute six kilograms of cocaine which they attempted to smuggle through Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
“Federal agents working with customs officers at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport permanently ended this drug smuggling ring,” said U.S. Attorney John Horn. “Drug smugglers continually seek new ways to move their narcotics. We hope that this case shows that the airport is a poor choice for shipping illegal drugs.”
“As the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta is a prime target for drug traffickers who think they can hide in plain sight by blending in with other travelers. This case shows just how mistaken that view is for anyone considering testing the system,” said Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations Atlanta Nick S. Annan. “These sentencings show the dedication and effectiveness of HSI along with our U.S. Customs and Border Protection partners to identify and arrest anyone who attempts to illegally smuggle contraband into the United States through the Atlanta airport.”
According to U.S. Attorney Horn, the charges and other information presented in court: on February 10, 2016, Janai Cavitt and Kaprice Green arrived at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica, in transit to their final destination of Cincinnati. While in Atlanta, customs agents stopped Cavitt and Green and discovered that each defendant had three kilograms of cocaine hidden in the lining of their suitcases. After obtaining confessions from Cavitt and Green, federal agents determined the two couriers intended to deliver the cocaine to Roelisha Housley and Walter Lee Parker in Cincinnati for $10,000.
Federal agents in Atlanta, coordinating with law enforcement counterparts in Ohio, also obtained confessions from Housley and Parker, who planned to further distribute the cocaine. After learning that the sister of one courier, who was not involved in the conspiracy, began to receive threatening text messages demanding the return of the cocaine, agents pinpointed Wilson as the threat maker. With the assistance of counterparts in Florida, agents ultimately uncovered that Wilson worked with the Jamaican-based cocaine supplier, and that Wilson was the leader of the drug conspiracy and owner of the cocaine.
Each of the defendants pleaded guilty in federal court in Atlanta, Georgia, to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. On November 3 and 4, 2016, U.S. District Judge William S. Duffey, Jr., imposed the following sentences:
- Walter Lee Parker, 37, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was sentenced to eight years, one month in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release;
- Paul Victor Wilson, a/k/a “Ivory Roberson,” 47, of Weston, Florida, was sentenced to 11 years, five months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release;
- Roelisha Housley, 21, of Fairfield, Ohio, was sentenced to five years, eight months in prison to be followed by four years of supervised release;
- Janai Cavitt, 21, of Covington, Kentucky, was sentenced to three years, nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release; and
- Kaprice Green, 19, of Cincinnati, Ohio, was sentenced to three years, four months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.
Assistant United States Attorneys Trevor C. Wilmot and Laurel R. Boatright prosecuted the case.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.com.
For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.
Updated November 7, 2016
Topic
Drug Trafficking
Component