Georgia Inmate, Co-Conspirator Sentenced in International Fentanyl Trafficking Conspiracy
ATHENS, Ga. A Georgia inmate and his co-conspirator have been sentenced to lengthy federal prison terms for operating an international drug trafficking scheme that brought fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids from China into Georgia, federal prosecutors announced.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia, 45-year-old Devito Duran Young, also known as “Big” and “Big Man,” was sentenced to 327 months in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.
Trace Davrin Works, 29, of Mableton, was sentenced to 262 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Federal investigators said the drug trafficking operation began in 2023 while Young was incarcerated at Macon State Prison. Authorities said Young used a contraband cellphone to access encrypted messaging applications, where he placed orders for fentanyl from suppliers in China.
According to court documents, Young directed Works to receive the fentanyl shipments and mail the drugs to customers, including recipients within the Middle District of Georgia. Investigators said the pair used cryptocurrency to pay for the narcotics.
The investigation also found that synthetic cannabinoids were shipped from China to an address on 4th Avenue in Cordele occupied by co-conspirator Andreaus Benard Oliver Jr. Authorities allege Chinese nationals Xin Wang and Gao Yong facilitated the international sale and shipment of synthetic drugs to customers, including Young and other members of the conspiracy.
Federal agents executed a search warrant at the Cordele residence on July 22, 2024, after intercepting a package shipped from China. Investigators recovered more than 175 metal pans containing treated paper, more than 350 dried sheets soaked with synthetic cannabinoids, bottles and jugs containing suspected cannabinoids, measuring equipment, shipping labels addressed to inmates at correctional facilities across the country, cash and distribution ledgers. Authorities also seized and forfeited approximately $170,000 in cryptocurrency from Wang during the investigation.
Young and Works were held accountable for trafficking 2,610 fentanyl pills weighing nearly 280 grams. Young was also held responsible for trafficking more than 5.5 kilograms of the synthetic cannabinoid MDMB-4en-PINACA.
Two other defendants, Andreaus Benard Oliver Sr., 43, and Andreaus Benard Oliver Jr., 27, both of Cordele, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 6.
Federal charges remain pending against Wang, 28, and Gao Yong, 29, both of China, who remain at large. Prosecutors noted that an indictment is an allegation, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The investigation was led by the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the case.
