Andraeus Benard Oliver Jr., 27, of Cordele, was sentenced Thursday in Athens, marking the fourth of four men in custody to receive a federal sentence in connection with a drug ring. This operation allegedly shipped fentanyl and synthetic cannabinoids from China to South Georgia and then to prison inmates across the United States. Two Chinese nationals have also been indicted in the case but remain at large, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Oliver Jr. was sentenced to 168 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty on April 15 to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, as announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office on Thursday.
His father, Andraeus Benard Oliver Sr., 43, also of Cordele, was sentenced on September 2. Oliver Sr. received 210 months in prison, to be followed by six years of supervised release. Like his son, Oliver Sr. pleaded guilty on April 15 to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Two other co-conspirators were sentenced earlier this year. Devito Duran Young, 45, of Macon State Prison and Marietta, and Trace Davrin Works, 29, of Mableton, were both sentenced on July 8. They had entered guilty pleas on April 1, the U.S. Attorney's Office confirmed. The two indicted Chinese nationals still at large are identified as Xin Wang, 28, and Gao Yong, 29.
Citing court documents and statements referenced in court, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia detailed that the conspiracy began in 2023. At that time, Devito Duran Young was an inmate at Macon State Prison in Oglethorpe, and Andraeus Benard Oliver Sr. was incarcerated at the Macon Transitional Center, located on the prison campus. While imprisoned, Young reportedly used a contraband cellphone and encrypted chat applications to place numerous orders for controlled substances from Xin Wang and Gao Yong, according to information from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The U.S. Attorney's Office further stated that some of the packages containing these controlled substances were delivered to an address on Fourth Avenue in Cordele, which was occupied by Andraeus Benard Oliver Jr. Trace Davrin Works was then assigned to pick up these drugs and distribute them to Young’s customers.
Law enforcement intervened in the operation by intercepting one of the packages addressed to Oliver Jr.’s residence. Subsequently, agents executed a search warrant at that location on July 22, 2024. The U.S. Attorney’s Office reported that officers found substantial evidence during the search. This included more than 175 metal pans containing sheets of paper, multiple jugs and bottles holding suspected cannabinoids, and several measuring beakers. They also discovered more than 350 dried sheets of paper that had been soaked with cannabinoids. Additional items seized included return address labels falsely purporting to be from various attorneys, shipping labels addressed to inmates in jail and prison facilities across the country, cash, and ledgers indicating the quantity of processed sheets. As part of the ongoing investigation, $170,000 in cryptocurrency was seized and forfeited from Xin Wang.