Date: April 29, 2025
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Birmingham, AL — An indictment charging 14 defendants in a drug trafficking conspiracy involving fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, marijuana, and heroin was unsealed today. Eight of the defendants were arrested today and five defendants were already in custody on other offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.
A 59-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges Eddie Jerry Jones, a.k.a. “Boss,” of Fairfield, Alabama, Marcus Dewayne Johnson, a.k.a. “Moon,” of Hoover, Alabama, Larry Denzel Rollins Jr., a.k.a. “King” and “Blo,” of Forestdale, Alabama, LaNicholas Demarco Rollins, of Forestdale, Alabama, Zachary Holmes, a.k.a. “Stakks,” of Birmingham, David Will Jones, of Fairfield, Alabama, Juan Miguel Nation, of Birmingham, Juan Pierre Nation, of Birmingham, Cordero Reid, a.k.a. “Kojacc,” of Birmingham, Demetrius Emmanuel Preyer, of Pleasant Grove, Alabama, Devante Marquis McKinney, a.k.a. “The Barber,” of Birmingham, Marcus Orlandeo Bogus, a.k.a. “The Mechanic,” of Center Point, Alabama, and Otis Kenneth Myree Hudson, of Birmingham, with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine base or “crack” cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana between January 2021 and March 2025. The indictment also charges all defendants with at least one count of using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime.
McKinney and Rollins Jr. are also charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The minimum prison sentence for this charge is five years in custody, and the sentence must be served after the completion of any other sentence related to the crime.
Eddie Jones is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The maximum penalty for this offense is 15 years.
Eddie Jones, Rollins Jr., and Holmes were in custody on capital murder charges pending in the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama. David Jones was in federal custody on pending federal supervised release violations. Reid is serving a life sentence in the Alabama Department of Corrections’ Fountain Correctional Facility for Attempted Murder.
The maximum penalty for conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance is life in prison.
Each count of using a telephone to facilitate a drug-trafficking crime carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison.
The indictment also includes special findings of the grand jury regarding the amount of narcotics attributable to various defendants as part of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.
“My office, along with our federal, state, and local partners, is committed to relentlessly investigate and prosecute drug trafficking organizations in our District, particularly those that distribute deadly fentanyl into the community and use firearms to commit their crimes,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “This case involved an immense amount of collaboration and dedication from our law enforcement partners and underscores the impact of the OCDETF program’s multiagency approach.”
“Criminals trafficking illegal drugs in our communities have a profound negative effect on Americans’ quality of life,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS-CI Atlanta Field Office. “The 59-count indictment filed today is an outcome of IRS Criminal Investigation special agents, our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Attorney’s Office working together to break up drug trafficking organizations that pose a threat to the United States.”
“The 59-count indictment underscores the unwavering commitment of the DEA and our law enforcement partners to dismantle drug trafficking networks that threaten our communities,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Steven Hofer. “While these charges were filed in the Northern District of Alabama, the ripple effects of such widespread drug distribution reach far beyond those borders. We will continue to work tirelessly to hold accountable those who seek profit from the sale of these dangerous substances and bring them to justice.”
“Drug trafficking and the prevalence of gun violence continue to plague the United States at alarming rates,” said ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz. “The ATF will continue to work with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and charge those individuals who commit violent acts and distribute large amounts of narcotics throughout the communities that we serve.”
“Today’s actions demonstrate the FBI’s persistence in combating violent crime in our communities,” said FBI Birmingham Acting Special Agent in Charge Christopher DiMenna. “We will continue to strengthen and grow our federal, state, and local partnerships to meet our mission and to ensure the safety and security of the American people.”
“Today’s indictments reflect the commitment and collaboration of our law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle major drug-trafficking networks that threaten the safety of our communities,” said Birmingham Chief of Police Michael Pickett. “We will continue to pursue those who distribute dangerous narcotics with relentless focus and determination. I commend the dedication of all the investigators, agents, and prosecutors who made this operation a success.”
IRS-CI, the DEA, ATF, FBI, and the Birmingham Police Department Narcotics and Homicide units investigated the case, along with assistance from the United States Marshals Service, United States Secret Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, Alabama Department of Corrections, Hoover Police Department, and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison J. Garnett, Brett A. Janich, and Kristy M. Peoples are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
An indictment contains only charges. Defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.