BEAUMONT (KYTX) – A 26-year-old Nacogdoches man has been sentenced to
federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas,
announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.
Rodney
Stevenson pleaded guilty on Aug. 29, 2012, to conspiracy to distribute and
possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of crack cocaine and was
sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Ron
Clark.
According to information
presented in court, from 2008 to June 20, 2012, Donald Dixon, a.k.a. "Black",
Cedrick Fowler, a.k.a. "C" and "C-Murder", Kerry Wayne Griffin, a.k.a. "Big
Boy", Omar Paunetto, Jose Angel Bustillos, Michael John Pereira, Rodney
Stevenson, a.k.a. "Arod", Darius Thorn, a.k.a. "Bs" and "Beez", Tremaine Smith
and Anthony Fowler conspired to traffic cocaine and crack cocaine throughout
East Texas.
Stevenson's role in the
organization was to assist Cedrick Fowler in acquisition of cocaine and the
distribution of cocaine base. Stevenson traveled with Cedrick Fowler on one or
more occasions to purchase cocaine from Donald Dixon. On May 25, 2012,
investigators executed an arrest warrant at Stevenson's apartment and detained
him after he attempted to flee. They found C. Fowler in a second bedroom of the
apartment and Stevenson's girlfriend in his bedroom. Underneath a pillow on
Stevenson's bed, agents recovered a FEG, 9mm, Model P9R, semiautomatic pistol.
They also found 4 pounds of marijuana in the bedroom closet and a small amount
of cocaine in a kitchen cabinet. Stevenson was responsible for distributing over
5 kilograms of cocaine.
On June 20, 2012, a
federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment charging 10 defendants,
including Stevenson, with drug trafficking violations.
This case is the result
of an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) joint
investigation. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify,
disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and
money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation's
illegal drug supply.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement
Administration, the Nacogdoches Police Department, and the Nacogdoches County
Sheriff's Office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Baylor
Wortham.
