Last Defendant Sentenced in Atlanta Drug Trafficking Ring, Investigation Seized Drugs, Guns
ATLANTA — The final defendant in a years-long federal drug trafficking case tied to a metro Atlanta gang has been sentenced, bringing the multi-agency investigation to a close.
Antonio Pierre Ashmeade, 42, of Atlanta, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, after being convicted of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office Northern District of Georgia and stemmed from a 2019 investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration into a drug trafficking organization associated with the Paper Gang Family, which authorities said operated under the appearance of a rap label.
Investigators determined the group distributed large quantities of narcotics across the Atlanta area. Agents observed members conducting drug transactions in public spaces, including areas where school buses regularly dropped off children.
In April 2023, agents witnessed Ashmeade hand off a bag of suspected narcotics in a southeast Atlanta parking lot. When a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempted to stop the buyer’s vehicle, the suspect fled and discarded a bag containing approximately half a kilogram of methamphetamine along Memorial Drive, which was later recovered by law enforcement.
Over the course of the investigation, authorities seized approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills, 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of cocaine and 30 firearms connected to the organization.
Ashmeade was one of 13 defendants charged in the case. Prosecutors said all defendants have now been convicted and sentenced, with penalties ranging from just under three years to 18 years in federal prison.
Among those sentenced:
- Demarco Harper, 48, received 15 years after pleading guilty to drug trafficking and firearm charges.
- Cyguifredo Hernandez, 34, and Rodrigus Dartez Williams, 39, were each sentenced to 15 years for drug-related offenses.
- Christian Tevaris Wash, 45, received more than 12 years.
- Several others, including Alexavier Negron, Mario Peek and Terez Pippins, were sentenced to 10 years each.
- Additional defendants received sentences ranging from five years to just under three years.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said the case highlights the risks tied to drug trafficking and the consequences for those involved.
“This investigation and federal prosecution disrupted an extensive drug distribution ring run by metro-Atlanta gang members,” Hertzberg said. “The defendants’ lengthy sentences demonstrate that the potential financial gains from trafficking dangerous street drugs are not worth the consequences.”
Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s Atlanta Field Division, said the case demonstrated strong cooperation among agencies working together to dismantle the organization.
The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, Georgia State Patrol, and numerous local sheriff’s offices and police departments across the region.
With Ashmeade’s sentencing, the federal case against all 13 defendants has concluded.
