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17 indicted in massive, multi-state drug trafficking, money laundering ring: officials

By Crystal Tisme
Published  July 20, 2023 5:11pm EDT
Orlando
FOX 35 Orlando

Drug bust: Multi-state trafficking takedown

The U.S. Attorney's Office will announce the results of a long-term investigation involving a multi-state drug trafficking investigation.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Seventeen people have been indicted in a massive drug bust that spanned multiple states, according to the U.S. State Attorney's Office. 

The Drug Enforcement Administration led an operation that uncovered a major drug trafficking and money laundering operation by the drug trafficking organization, led by Dudzinski Poole, a 48-year-old man from Apopka, officials said in a news conference Thursday. 

According to investigators, the organization is responsible for trafficking thousands of kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl. 

This six-year investigation uncovered that the group operated mainly out of Lake County, with suppliers in California, Texas, the eastern United States, and China.

The drugs were mainly transported between the Orlando International Airport, Palm Springs Airport, and the Los Angeles International Airport, officials said. 

In a two-year period, flight records show that there were more than 350 flights between California and Orlando flown by various people. They transported drugs by planes, but also via train from Orlando to Virginia.

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Items collected in a recent drug and money laundering bust that led to the indictment of 17 traffickers. (Courtesy of the Orange County Sheriff's Office)

One of the organization's drug couriers was arrested in April 2022 after investigators found about 10 pounds of methamphetamine at a train station in Virginia, officials said. 

Investigators said that Poole also had several "stash houses" and received hundreds of packages from California containing methamphetamine and fentanyl from China.

These shipments would contain up to 10 pounds, sometimes more, of meth, officials said. Investigators have identified almost 400 packages that were shipped from California since 2021.

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Not only did they allegedly transport drugs, but they also participated in a money laundering scheme, officials said. Poole is accused of created an entertainment business where he would promote concerts with legitimate artists and pay them with drug money. He'd then allegedly put the ticket proceeds and drug money into the same account, according to the news conference. 

Each of the 17 defendants has played various roles in the drug trafficking and money laundering ring. Look below to see each defendant that has been indicted so far, and their charges: 

All defendants face a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison

  • Dudzinski Edwinn Poole aka "Zink," 48, Apopka - Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts), drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Melvin Tyrone Patterson, Jr. aka "Goon," 31, Wildwood - Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts), drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Andrew Woodruff, Jr. aka "Smurf," 38, Mount Dora - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Jose Ivan Carbajal aka "Primo," 33, California - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Diego Navarro-Martinez aka "Shooter," 32, California - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Michael Andre Chester aka "Dre," 48, Apopka - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Samantha Tiesha King aka "Mamp," 32, Altamonte Springs - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Felisha Denise Williams aka "Lil Momma," 34, Apopka - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Rodrieka Lashay Manning aka "Drieka," 25, Apopka - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Janice Denise Anderson aka "Butter," 65, Mount Dora - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Oveda Denise Miller aka "Gangsta Granny," 60, Mount Dora - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Roland Richardson, 63, Mount Dora - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • Latonya Sharee Conley, aka "Hershey," 46, Mount Dora - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy
  • George Nelvin King, Jr., 46, Altamonte Springs - Drug trafficking conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy