Bad Crime News Week for Rankin County

Rankin County suffered a one-two punch this week on the crime news front. Yesterday, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced that three Rankin County men, Dylan Wade Butler, 20, John Aaron Rice, 19, and Deryl Paul Dedmon, 19, would be the first sentenced under the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act for committing a hate crime that resulted in murder. The three men, and up to four accomplices, worked together to kill James Craig Anderson last summer.

Then today, U.S. Attorney John Dowdy announced that Joseph Patrick Coates, 21, of Pearl was among three men sentenced for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA or Molly. Coates’ father, David Coates, the Northwest Rankin High School athletic director and head football coach, and his 19-year-old sister, Maryalice Rae Coates, was also arrested in the “Operation Brilliant Orange” federal investigation. The round-up included several Ole Miss students and one Madison Central High School student. (See photos here.)

In a statement today (pasted below), the feds said that two men, Daniel Blake Huber, 29, of Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Charles Autry, 26, of Palestine, Arkansas, were also sentenced today for their involvement in “a large trafficking network operating in Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Lafayette, and Forrest counties” that distributed large quantities of high grade marijuana, LSD and “MOLLY.”

“As this investigation progressed, agents identified a larger distribution network importing the illegal drugs from Amsterdam and distributing them throughout the United States. Agents were able to completely dismantle the entire network and stop this supply coming to Mississippi and across the United States,” the statement said.

It added: “During the investigation, federal and state agents seized approximately 13 pounds of high grade marijuana, 122 dosage units of LSD, and 3.5 pounds of MDMA (MOLLY), with an estimated street value of approximately $300,000. Also seized were nine firearms, two vehicles, and approximately $35,000 in cash.”

The JFP reported in our recent crime issue that Rankin County has become a hotbed of drug-related gang activity, largely focusing on the sale of methamphetamine. The National Gang Intelligence Center reports that gang activity has fallen in recent years in the Jackson metro, but meth sales remains strong in Rankin and other counties around the state. For instance, the Chicago-based Simon City Royals, a violent white gang specializing in meth sales, is strong in Rankin County, especially Richland.

The feds did not indicate a connection between today’s arrests and the Royals, however.

Verbatim statement from U.S. Attorney John Dowdy:

THREE SENTENCED ON DRUG CHARGES
Jackson, Miss. – Joseph Patrick Coates, 21, of Pearl; Daniel Blake Huber, 29, of Jonesboro, Arkansas; and Charles Autry, 26, of Palestine, Arkansas, were sentenced on drug charges in federal court this week, U.S. Attorney John Dowdy announced. Coates was sentenced to serve 108 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA or Molly. Huber was sentenced to serve 41 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA or Molly. Autry was sentenced to serve 37 months in federal prison followed by 3 years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methylenedioxymethamphetamine, also known as MDMA or Molly.

The final defendant in this case, Mark Frank Davis, 55, of Colorado, will be sentenced on March 30, 2012 by the Honorable Henry T. Wingate. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and up to a $1,000,000 fine.

This case is the result of an extensive undercover operation, dubbed “Operation Brilliant Orange,” which began as an operation targeting club drugs such as MDMA (Ecstasy), LSD, and high grade marijuana being distributed in the Jackson Metro area. Agents quickly identified a large trafficking network operating in Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Lafayette, and Forrest counties. This network was responsible for distributing large quantities of high grade marijuana, LSD, and “MOLLY,” which is a pure crystalline form of MDMA. As this investigation progressed, agents identified a larger distribution network importing the illegal drugs from Amsterdam and distributing them throughout the United States. Agents were able to completely dismantle the entire network and stop this supply coming to Mississippi and across the United States. During the investigation, federal and state agents seized approximately 13 pounds of high grade marijuana, 122 dosage units of LSD, and 3.5 pounds of MDMA (MOLLY), with an estimated street value of approximately $300,000. Also seized were nine firearms, two vehicles, and approximately $35,000 in cash.

The lead investigative agency in this operation is the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics Jackson Enforcement Team (consisting of MBN, Jackson Police Department, Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Department of Corrections). Assisting agencies include the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, HIDTA, United States Attorney’s Office Southern District of Mississippi, Madison Police Department, Lafayette Metro Narcotics Unit, Lafayette County Sheriff’s Office, Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, Rankin County District Attorney’s Office, and Pearl River County Sheriff’s Office.