ATHENS, Ga. — Two Georgia men are facing up to life in prison after pleading guilty to trafficking fentanyl and synthetic drugs from China into the state, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
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Prosecutors say one of the men operated the drug network from inside a state prison.
Devito Duran Young, 46, who was incarcerated at Macon State Prison, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. Trace Davrin Works, 29, of Mableton, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.
Both men face a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 10 years. Sentencing is scheduled for July 8.
According to prosecutors, the operation began in 2023, with fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids shipped from China into Georgia. Authorities say Young used a contraband cellphone while in prison to coordinate orders through encrypted messaging apps and directed Works to receive and distribute the drugs.
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Investigators say the pair trafficked 2,610 fentanyl pills and more than 5,500 grams of a synthetic cannabinoid known as MDMB-4en-PINACA.
“This case highlights a dangerous operation that profited from the suffering of others,” said William R. Keyes, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, in a statement. “We are committed to dismantling criminal organizations, whether they operate from prisons or across borders.”
Federal authorities say the case is part of a larger international conspiracy involving additional suspects, including two men in China accused of supplying the drugs and facilitating sales worldwide using cryptocurrency.
Those defendants, identified as Xin Wang and Gao Yong, remain fugitives with active arrest warrants.
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Two other Georgia men, Andreaus Benard Oliver Sr. and Andreaus Benard Oliver Jr., have also been charged in connection with the case. Prosecutors say packages of synthetic drugs were shipped to a Cordele home that investigators describe as a ‘lab,’ where the substances were processed and prepared for distribution.
When agents executed a search warrant at that home in July 2024, they say they found hundreds of sheets of paper soaked in synthetic cannabinoids, along with drug-processing equipment, shipping materials addressed to inmates across the country, and cash.
Authorities also seized and forfeited $170,000 in cryptocurrency tied to the operation.
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