"We could not re-establish contact with him," said Jeff Cooke, assistant commonwealth's attorney for Jefferson County. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted. Agents using wiretaps say they overheard the suspecteddrug lord, Rodriguez, and his alleged right-hand man,Castle,discussinga$30,000 payment to Cater to gun down Vicente Rodriguez Ramirez and another man they blamed for the heroin theft. Mayor Greg Fischer announced other changes to ensure more scrutiny, transparency and accountability, including the naming of a new police chief; a new requirement that body cameras always be worn during the execution of search warrants; and the establishment of a civilian review board for police disciplinary matters. Cater's crimes wouldgrow more violent, according to police reports,and eventually culminate in his role as an allegedcontract killer. Daniel Lindsey, 45, is facing numerous charges including trafficking in marijuana. If convicted, the charges carry no less than a mandatory 10 years in federal prison. Castle insists thatCater alone fired the fatal shots, an account police say is backed up by their investigation. Ms. Goodlett and Mr. Jaynes were accused of conspiring to falsify the affidavit; Ms. Goodlett was also accused of conspiring to hinder the subsequent investigation. The investigation is being led by the Drug Enforcement Administration (Evansville Indiana Resident Office, Albuquerque District Office, Phoenix Field Division, Orange County District County Office, Oklahoma City, Flagstaff Resident Office, Paducah POD, Springfield, Missouri, and SOD); Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bowling Green, Kentucky; HSI Oklahoma City; Owensboro Kentucky Police Department, Daviess County Sheriffs Office; Criminal Interdiction Team of Central Oklahoma; Oklahoma County Sheriffs Office; Oklahoma City Police Department; Arizona Highway Patrol; and the Daviess County Commonwealths Attorneys Office. Williamstold the judge that his client who had insurance but still didn't have avalid U.S. driver's license was prepared to plead guilty. This collaborative effort by the Owensboro Police Dept, Daviess Co Sheriffs Office, DEA, and U.S. Attorneys Office for the Western District of Kentucky continues, with the possibility of additional persons involved being charged.. Rodriguez claimed it was payment for hanging drywall, but he didn't have invoices or receipts. He argued that Cater didn't have a gun, never planned to harm anyoneand was "a calming influence" who assuredthe victims they wouldn't get hurt. On a frosty winter afternoon, a gunman stepped out of agetaway car and crept besideamaroon Chevypickup, raised his armand fired. Once the drugswere in Louisville, Castle arranged tosell themin bulk tolower-level dealers whopeddled them in smaller amounts on the streets, investigators said. Would you like to receive our daily news? Officers were suspicious and seized the cash. Samuel White, 27, of Owensboro, Kentucky, has been charged with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Chance of rain 100%. [34], In a 2015 interview with Terry Gross, Graham Yost, the creator and show runner of the FX series Justified, said, "Honestly, we didn't know a lot about the Dixie Mafia. Fugitive team 'not gonna quit until they get ya,' hunts for most dangerous, Wiretaps unravel Louisville drug trafficking, January slaying, Mexican drug cartels saturate U.S. with deadliest meth ever. Keith Watkins, 28, of Owensboro, Kentucky, has been charged with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. Drug overdoses:Fatal OD leads to a Louisville bartender facing federal charges. Reporter Beth Warren used local and federal court databases to access records on the pending charges and sift through hundreds of pages of documents on past traffic and criminal court records. [20] The cornbread mafia has been brought up in the Summer Wells disappearance case. The Louisville Metro Police Department and U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration report the agencies seized at least 8.5 kilograms of fentanyl and 20,000 to 30,000 suspected fentanyl pills from a Louisville-area storage unit on Monday following a long-term investigation. Ms. Taylors relatives and their lawyers say that the police never identified themselves before entering despite their claims. Darrion Lamont Moody, 35, of Evansville, Indiana has been charged with Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl. It's part of a story the WAVE Troubleshooters have been unraveling linked to the murders of 3-year-old Trinity Randolph and her father, Brandon Waddles. Mr. Moody has also been charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl for events between on or about January 2, 2021, and January 6, 2021. LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - Authorities say they've broken up a major drug trafficking ring in Louisville. "He didn't want to meet me or come to court. Investigators say they watched as the two suspectsdrove the luxury SUV to a Highview-areahouse and unloaded the drugs which were hidden in the interior paneling and inside the tires. And many detailsof the investigation remain hidden from public view. On Feb.23, teams of heavily armed agents and local police were ready to swarm the southern Jefferson County stash houses,the accused hit man's house in Okolona andthe alleged drug lord's home in Oldham County. Hethought of his parents and waited to die. As the men approached the 2100 block of West Kentucky Street in the California neighborhood, someone started firing, setting off a bevy of bullets in both directions. Ms. Taylors family has disputed the polices claim that the raid had to be conducted in the middle of the night. City officials banned the use of no-knock warrants on June 11, 2020. Several of the officers involved in the raid Mr. Hankison, Detective Myles Cosgrove, and Detective Joshua Jaynes were fired. Karlchaze Thruston has not yet been apprehended at this time and is a wanted fugitive. Your e-mail address will be used to confirm your account. Mr. McNary has also been charged with Distribution of Methamphetamine for events occurring on or about November 6, 2020. He is accused of blanketing Louisville with deadly drugs and ordering a murder over a kilo of stolen heroin. At the timeRamirez was shot, geo-mapping showed the alleged hit man's phonein the same area. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. All three have pleaded not guilty to federalcharges ofconspiracy to distribute heroin and methamphetamine,using a gun in a crime of violence or drug trafficking, and murder. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS On Aug. 4, prosecutors said that three officers, Joshua Jaynes, Kelly Goodlett and Kyle Meany,made false claims in an affidavit used to obtain the warrant and conspired to lie about it after. The bust is part of an ongoing investigation with the DEA. He also had childrenages 3, 4 and 8 in the back seat without car seats or seat belts, according to the citation. Sheriff: Louisville man arrested in Pulaski County drug bust, Boys 13th Region Tournament sees all-Laurel County semifinal, 11 years later: Looking back on the March 2nd, 2012 EKY tornado outbreak, Isom IGA owner honored as WGA Woman of the Year. Again and again failing to show a valid driver's license or proof of insurance in 10 traffic stops in Jefferson, Bullitt and Oldham counties including seven encounters with Louisville Metro Police. Greene said he heard whatsounded like a balloon losing a rush of airas a bullet blew out his rear driver's side tire. These indictments, announced today, are the result of a coordinated effort of local, state, and federal agencies all committed to reducing violent crime and making our communities safer places to live.. Then he heard a loud noise and felt his car jerkinto theguardrail. It listed Ms. Taylors injuries as none, even though she had been shot several times, and indicated that officers had not forced their way into the apartment though they used a battering ram to break the door open. The police responded by firing several shots, striking Ms. Taylor five times. Agents rushed to court to renew itbut weren't able to intervene in time. Bickett and Boone CBD products are the only CBD products endorsed by the original members of the Cornbread Mafia, including Joe Keith Bickett and Johnny Boone. But before investigatorsgot specifics, the federal authorization to tap the phones ended. While listening to wiretapped conversations between Rodriguez, the accuseddrug lord, and his alleged right-hand man,Castle, investigators say they learned of Cater's role astheir muscle. "Without the prosecuting witness, they decided that they could not go forward with the trial.". Mr. Meany, who led a department investigative unit, approved the affidavit despite knowing that it contained false information. They remain in jail as theU.S. attorney generalweighs whether prosecutors should consider seeking the federal death penalty against them a punishment Kentucky hasn't imposed in more than three decades. A locked padlock Officers find enough fentanyl to kill 4 million people in drug bust, officials say, Murdaugh defense to make closing arguments at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Murdaugh Trial, Day 26: Testimony gets heated during states rebuttal, One dead, driver and 3-year-old injured during crash in Greer, Biden begins push for funding for pandemic fraud measures, Spectators awed as SpaceX launches astronauts to ISS, kelli.radcliff@foxcarolina.com - 864-213-2103. Louisville police seized a stash of fentanyl large enough to kill over 4 million people. [33] There is also a song by Molly Hatchet called Cornbread Mafia (on the Kingdom of XII album), and a now-defunct band that called itself Cornbread Mafia. [27], In March 2015, President Obama commuted the prison sentences of 22 drug offenders, including Francis Darrell Hayden, a Marion County native. Shousesaid Cater, who livedin a small brickhouse east of Jefferson Mall in Okolona, worked in maintenance at an area Ford plant to provide for his wife and children before his arrest. Two men wouldgo to the front, two to the side, others to the back of the house, with the lookoutscanning the perimeter from the getaway car. The "Cornbread mafia" was the name for a group of Kentucky men who created the largest domestic marijuana production operation in United States history. He was brought to the United States in April 2017. Investigators saidthey tracked Castle'sblack Tahoeto one of the hiding spots, a modest brick home on Dominique Drivein the Highview area. In this instance, the DTO used firearms to further their drug trade and caused serious harm to Kentucky. Following national demonstrations in 2020 over police brutality and systemic racism, Louisville officials banned the use of no-knock warrants, which allow the police to forcibly enter peoples homes to search them without warning, and fired several officers, including Mr. Hankison, who was found to have shown an extreme indifference to the value of human life.. James Harrod, 38, of Frankfort, engaging in organized crime, a Class B felony, and receiving stolen property (less than $10,000), a Class D felony. But hundreds of pages of court documents and police recordsobtained by the Courier Journal reveal how the defendants skirted the justice system for years. At this point its bigger than Breonna, its bigger than just Black Lives, Ms. Taylors mother, Tamika Palmer, said over the summer of 2020 as she beseeched the authorities to bring criminal charges. Shortly after midnight on March 13, Louisville police officers executing a search warrant used a battering ram to enter the apartment of Ms. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency room technician. Invalid password or account does not exist. Create a password that only you will remember. "There would be a car once a week different car come hang out for half hour 40 minutes and sometime they'd pull up and pull another car out and that's about it," said Gronefeld. According to a statement from LMPD, the two agencies confiscated 8.5 kilos of suspected fentanyl and approximately 20,000-30,000 suspected pressed fentanyl pills from a storage unit. Said Owensboro Police Chief Art Ealum. That included hiring and paying Cater for the murders, agents said. All rights reserved. There was no body camera footage from the raid. Seven people indicted after kilos of drugs and cash found in east Louisville home Sep 29, 2016 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kilos of drugs and cash were found in Bullitt County and east. Two were arrested in an October drug bust by the Southern Indiana Drug Task Force, that turned up $1.7 million in cash and more than $1.5 million in drugs. "I swear you don't.". But on Jan. 16, Rodriguez and Castle walked into a trap. Yes, hotly. Thetruck was registered to Cater, and Cater's driver's license was found inside along with shell casings. [5] and the groups ultimate downfall in the late 1980s. He is accused of overseeing the flow of drugs in Louisville and guarding stash houses. ", Cartelsin Louisville:D.C. official: Here's how Mexican cartels funnel drugs inDeal drugs or die:Grandpa says he sold meth to save son from cartel. Police were familiar with Castle, who had been in and out of jailfor decades short stints forburglary, cocaine trafficking and illegal gun convictions. In November 2011, President Obama granted a pardon to Les Berry, an original member of the alleged "Cornbread Mafia," who was caught in Wisconsin driving a get-away car with six other Kentucky men fleeing a marijuana farm in Minnesota in late October 1987. LOUISVILLE, Ky. More than 4,200 pounds of marijuana headed to a Nelson County community was confiscated by a drug task force working with state and federal partners. Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. On a summer night in 1996, Cater and six of his buddies concocted a plan. Police soon spotted the red truck zipping down Dixie Highway near a Frisch's Big Boy. He guarded drugs attwo stash houses in the suburbs of southern Jefferson County. "Cornbread Mafia author launches new venture: Cornbread Hemp", Cornbread Hemp is First CBD Company in Kentucky to Achieve USDA Organic Certification, Solving Problems In Creative Ways: Jim Higdon, Co-Founder Of Cornbread Hemp, New Product Spotlight: Organic Hemp Extract Oils, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornbread_Mafia&oldid=1140889051, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 07:46. An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account. Wanted fugitive to the United States in April 2017 part of an ongoing with..., 2020, Detective Myles Cosgrove, and U.S Jeff Cooke, assistant commonwealth 's attorney for County! Louisville, Castle arranged tosell themin bulk tolower-level dealers whopeddled them in smaller amounts on the streets investigators. & # x27 ; ve broken up a major drug trafficking ring in Louisville heard. 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