Federal drug arrests made in Southeast Missouri

CHARLESTON, MO. -- A federal prosecutor announced the indictment of 19 members of a Charleston, Missouri gang accused of being the main suppliers of methamphetamine, cocaine and fentanyl into Southeast Missouri.

The announcement, made Friday, July 21 by the office of U.S. Eastern District of Missouri prosecutor Sayler A. Fleming, accuses the gang of receiving drugs in the mail and via couriers who "flew or drove to their sources of supply" which includes a Georgia-based source named Damien Davenport.

"Couriers were repeatedly intercepted with dozens of pounds of drugs in suitcases," according to the news release.

Fleming is a native of Charleston and said this case "is and will remain a priority for my office."

The bust was a massive undertaking that involved at least 10 layering jurisdictions. The case was investigated by Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force, Missouri State Highway Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, Mississippi County (Missouri) Sheriff's Office, Perry County (Missouri) Sheriff's Office, Charleston Department of Public Safety, Sikeston (Missouri) Department of Public Safety and Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Those involved in the gang were arrested in Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and North Carolina.

All 19 defendants face charges of conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute, according to an FBI special agent quoted in the news release.

The gang, known as "Just Bout Money" or "JBM", is also responsible for violent acts in the region. JBM members, according to the news release, have been linked to shootings in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois, including a party on Feb. 19, 2022, where two people, Clintayzia Clark, 23, and Brianna Schumer, 19, both of Cape Girardeau, were fatally shot. Fourteen others were injured. The men charged in that shooting were not named in the recent drug conspiracy indictment.

Among those cited for drug trafficking are Demarcus P. Turner and Jadarius A. McCain. Turner is in state custody facing second-degree murder charges and 15 counts of first-degree assault related to a shooting on July 2022 in Sikeston, according to the release. Turner had already served a 12-month sentence for distribution charges stemming from 2015, online court records show.

McCain was arrested in Cape Girardeau and charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action and property damage related to a shooting in Charleston, Missouri. In 2016, he pleaded guilty to second-degree assault relating to that charge and was sentenced to six years in the Department of Corrections.

"The Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Southeast Missouri Drug Task Force are dedicated and committed to removing illicit drugs from our communities," said Roger L. Phillips, director of the Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control. "The JBM drug trafficking organization has devastated our communities for years by flooding them with pounds and pounds of illicit drugs, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine. In addition to the harmful effects these drugs cause to their users, violence is often associated with these drug sales."

The indictment associated with the case, obtained by the Southeast Missourian, notes that the gang has operating since at least March of 2019.

The indictment includes properties and items subject to forfeiture should the case reach a conviction. The forfeitures include the residence and property located at 807 Gail St. in Charleston; a 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe; $34,970 in cash seized on March 16; $17,400 cash seized on June 22; and assorted jewelry.

According to court documents, the following people were indicted: Demarcus Turner, Jadarius McCain, Deundra Moore, Jakeith Browning, Damien Davenport, Marquasia Davis, Jalisa Bogan, DNaysia Larry, Stacie Bohannon, Carra Brooks, Cassandra Brooks, Tranece Carter, Brea Crawford, Lamar Douglas, Lakeesha Johnson, Daquaydra Moore, Preston Moore, Alize Nichols and Dakisha Woods.