Three More Defendants Plead Guilty to Roles in Methamphetamine Trafficking Organization

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. –  Three more defendants pleaded guilty today to roles in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Southern District of West Virginia.

Hakeem Rashad Mack, also known as “Paper,” 31, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty to distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Georgia Alice Jackson, 31, of Huntington, pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. Walter Alvin Cremeans, 56, of Culloden, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 28, 2023, Mack distributed approximately 283 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant at Mack’s Eighth Avenue residence in Huntington. Mack admitted to arranging the transaction beforehand with the informant via a video call with the FaceTime mobile device app. Mack further admitted to distributing a total of approximately 306 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant on May 10, 2023 and June 5, 2023.

On November 15, 2023, law enforcement officers arrested Mack and executed a search warrant at his residence. Officers seized approximately 165 grams of methamphetamine, 108 grams of fentanyl and a Charter Arms .38-caliber revolver during the search. Mack admitted that he possessed the firearm and intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl.

Officers also arrested Jackson and executed a search warrant at her Wiltshire Boulevard residence in Huntington on November 15, 2023. Officers seized approximately 380 grams of fentanyl, a Phoenix Arms HP22A .22-caliber pistol, a Sun City Stevens 320 12-gauge shotgun and various rounds of ammunition. Jackson admitted to possessing the seized fentanyl and intending to distribute it. Jackson further admitted to distributing a total of 1.35 kilograms of methamphetamine on four occasions between February 15, 2023, and August 24, 2023.

Jackson also admitted to participating in the DTO from at least February 2023 through November 2023, distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl on numerous occasions and using her residence to store and distribute drugs.

On October 28, 2023, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Cremeans on the 4200 block of Ohio River Road in Huntington. Cremeans admitted that he placed approximately 97 grams of methamphetamine in a cup that was thrown from his vehicle during the traffic stop. The officer located and seized the methamphetamine on the ground outside of Cremeans’ vehicle. Cremeans further admitted that investigators had observed him acquiring the seized methamphetamine just before the traffic stop,  and that he had arranged to receive the methamphetamine during multiple phone calls that were intercepted by investigators.

Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are scheduled to be sentenced on August 12, 2024. Mack faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release, and a $10 million fine. Jackson faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, and a $5 million fine. Cremeans faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine.

Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are among 27 individuals indicted in a 53-count indictment that charges the defendants with distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl transported from Detroit, Michigan, in Huntington and other locations within the Southern District of West Virginia.

Mack, Jackson and Cremeans are also among 17 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the main case. One other of the 27 indicted individuals pleaded guilty to a related offense in a separate case. The indictment against the remaining defendants is pending. An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Cabell County Sheriff’s Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Metropolitan Drug Enforcement Network Team (MDENT), the West Virginia State Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. MDENT is composed of the Charleston Police Department, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, the Nitro Police Department, the St. Albans Police Department and the South Charleston Police Department.

United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearings. Assistant United States Attorneys Joseph F. Adams and Stephanie Taylor are prosecuting the case.

The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:23-cr-180. 

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