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Press Release

Laurens County man is final defendant sentenced in middle Georgia drug trafficking conspiracy

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Georgia
All eight defendants in Operation ‘The Hole’ sentenced to prison

DUBLIN, GA:  A Laurens County man who was involved in a now-dismantled drug-trafficking conspiracy has been sentenced to prison, joining the other seven defendants identified in the investigation.

Quaveris Leshaun Mims, a/k/a “Strong,” 51, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 108 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Cocaine, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also fined Mims $2,000 and ordered him to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

“A collaborative effort from multiple law enforcement agencies identified and shut down this prolific drug-trafficking network in middle Georgia,” U.S. Attorney Steinberg said. “These eight guilty pleas reflect the continued hard work and dedication of our law enforcement partners to make their communities safer.”

Operation “The Hole” was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation coordinated by agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, along with the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force. The investigation targeted a drug-trafficking ring moving large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, crack cocaine and marijuana into the Laurens County area starting as early as 2017.

The investigation identified a small, secluded cinder-block building called “The Hole” that was being used as the “trap house,” or central distribution site, complete with a retail-like service counter for drug transactions.

During the execution of multiple federal search warrants, agents seized pounds of methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, along with two dozen firearms, nearly $37,000 in cash, silver bars with an estimated value of $73,000, devices for pressing bricks of cocaine, pill presses, a stolen vehicle, and two stolen generators with lights. Additional drugs, firearms and cash also were discovered during individual arrests of the eight defendants.

In addition to Mims, the seven co-defendants all are serving federal prison sentences after pleading guilty in the case:

  • Rodney Jarrod Denson, a/k/a “RD,” 46, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 262 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges. Denson was a drug supplier for other defendants.
  • Anthony Michael Denson, 51, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 92 months in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge. He is the brother of Rodney Denson.
  • Nicholas Turner, 27, of East Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 112 months in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
  • Brandon Payne, a/k/a “Tre,” 28, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 121 months in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge. Payne is a stepson of Rodney Denson.
  • Constance Victoria Moore, 36, of McRae-Helena, Ga., was sentenced to 24 months in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
  • Zandera Finney, 36, of Warner Robins, Ga., was sentenced to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to a conspiracy charge.
  • Desergio Kates, a/k/a “Serg,” 26, of Dublin, Ga., was sentenced to 14 months in prison after pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana. Kates is a stepson of Rodney Denson.

“The leader of this once-thriving drug trafficking organization has owned up to his crimes and now will pay the price,” said Robert J. Murphy, Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Operation The Hole was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF), the premier U.S. Department of Justice program to dismantle multi-jurisdictional drug trafficking organizations. Agencies involved in the investigation include the DEA; the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives (ATF); the FBI; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Laurens County Sheriff’s Office; Ocmulgee Drug Task Force; the Twiggs County Sheriff’s Office; the Wilkinson County Sheriff’s Office; the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office; the Washington County Sheriff’s Office; the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office; and the Warner Robins Police Department, and is being prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patricia Rhodes, Henry W. Syms Jr. and Jeremiah L. Johnson.

Contact

Barry L. Paschal, Public Affairs Officer: 912-652-4422

Updated April 28, 2023

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Firearms Offenses
Press Release Number: 39-23