23 gang members indicted in Georgia
Twenty-three alleged gang members, including one from Tennessee, were indicted in the Northern District of Georgia on charges of racketeering conspiracy, drug trafficking and firearms violations, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
All of those indicted were alleged to be members and associates of the Sex Money Murder gang.
Troy McCraine, 54, of Tennessee, was charged with conspiring to possess a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, according to the indictment.
“The defendants charged in this case allegedly perpetrated numerous violent and other criminal offenses, including multiple murders, brutal assaults and drug trafficking crimes, on behalf of the gang Sex Money Murder,” U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan said in the release.
Eleven defendants allegedly committed or ordered the charged offenses from prison — two of them from Hays State Prison in Trion, Georgia. The pair, Ryan Brandt, 44, and Anthony Jernigan, 36, were charged under Georgia’s anti-corruption law, while Brandt was additionally charged with conspiring, aiding and abetting, and possessing a controlled substance and a controlled substance analog with intent to distribute, according to the release.
“A controlled substance analogue is a substance which is intended for human consumption, is structurally substantially similar to a schedule I or schedule II substance, is pharmacologically substantially similar to a schedule I or schedule II substance, or is represented as being similar to a schedule I or schedule II substance and is not an approved medication in the United States,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Schedule I controlled substances “have no currently accepted medical use in the United States, a lack of accepted safety for use under medical supervision and a high potential for abuse,” according to the DOJ. Schedule II controlled substances “have a high potential for abuse, which may lead to severe psychological or physical dependence,” the department said.
Inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections allegedly orchestrated crimes using contraband cellphones, according to the release.
“It’s alarming to think that these criminals were brazen enough to distribute dangerous drugs and commit heinous crimes while behind bars,” said Robert J. Murphy, special agent in charge of the DEA Atlanta Division in the release. “They must now face the consequences.”