Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
WASHINGTON – Ronte Ricardo Greene, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 108 months in federal prison for his role in a fentanyl trafficking conspiracy which distributed hundreds of thousands of lethal fentanyl-laced pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including Washington D.C. Greene was one of 24 co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Greene, aka “Cardiddy,” pleaded guilty on Feb. 27, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams of fentanyl. In addition to the 108-month prison term, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Greene to serve five years of supervised release.
Joining in the announcement of Greene’s sentencing today were Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
According to court documents, Greene entered into the conspiracy in 2022 after he was introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker who was a wholesale distributor of the counterfeit pills. Greene’s role was to travel to Southern California, purchase the fentanyl-laced pills, and return with them to the DMV where he would sell the pills to others.
Greene regularly boasted of the money generated from his drug trafficking, and posted photos of himself on social media holding stacks of cash.
When Greene was arrested on Nov. 15, 2023, he was in possession of about 100 fentanyl-laced pills.
This investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the USPIS Washington Division in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The investigation had valuable support from the DEA Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Offices, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Kinskey, Solomon Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Division.
|
DEFENDANT |
AGE |
LOCATION |
CHARGES/SENTENCE |
|
Hector David Valdez, aka “Curl” |
27 |
Santa Fe Springs, California |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
|
Craig Eastman |
21 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced Feb. 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl. |
| Charles Jeffrey Taylor |
21 |
Washington, D.C. | Pleaded guilty Feb. 28, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Raymond Nava, Jr. |
21 |
Bell Gardens, California |
Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Ulises Aldaz |
28 |
Bell Gardens, California |
Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Max Alexander Carias Torres |
27 |
Bell Gardens, California |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
| Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy” |
35 |
Washington, D.C. | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit wire fraud. |
|
Marvin Anthony Bussie, aka “Money Marr” |
22 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Marcus Orlando Brown |
29 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced Oct. 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Columbian Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda” |
27 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced Oct. 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden |
35 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Andre Malik Edmond, aka “Draco” |
24 |
Temple Hills, Maryland | Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Treyveon James Johnson, aka “Treyski” |
21 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Sentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Karon Olufemi Blalock, aka “Fat Bags” |
30 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit wire fraud; conspiracy to commit money laundering. |
|
Ronte Ricardo Greene, aka “Cardiddy” |
29 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced July 18, 2025, to 108 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21” |
39 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced June 20, 2025, to 75 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Darius Quincy Hodges, aka “Brick” |
34 |
Glen Allen, Virginia | Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Lamin Sesay, aka “Rock Star” |
28 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Sentenced May 30, 2025, to 110 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Paul Alejandro Felix |
26 |
Glendale, California |
Sentenced Nov. 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Omar Arana, aka “Frogs” |
27 |
Cudahy, California |
Sentenced May 2, 2025, to 93 months, for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano” |
27 |
San Diego, California |
Sentenced May 8, 2025, to 148 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Raul Pacheco Ramirez |
31 |
Long Beach, California |
Sentenced Nov. 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Giovani Alejandro Briones |
31 |
Victorville, California | Sentenced Feb. 20, 2025, to 90 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez |
27 |
Rosarito, Mexico |
Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
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