Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
WASHINGTON – Columbian Thomas, 26, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 160 months in federal prison for participating in a massive fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including the District. Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda,” was one of more than two dozen co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.
The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, DEA Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget of the Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Thomas pleaded guilty on May 30 to conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 160-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Thomas to serve five years of supervised release.
The impetus for this investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death-resulting case [1] , law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms.
According to court documents, Thomas entered into the conspiracy after he was introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker, who was a distributor of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. Thomas would travel to Southern California to purchase the fake oxycodone from the L.A. supplier and return to the District with the drugs.
Thomas and his co-conspirators employed two primary methods to transport the pills to the District: they smuggled them in luggage or carry-on items on airline flights, or they shipped the pills using commercial mail carriers.
Thomas often bragged on social media about the lucrative business of fentanyl trafficking and proudly showcased the spoils of his drug trafficking. The below-pictured social media post shows Thomas holding a large stack of U.S. currency, exclaiming “I [love] Cali!!!!”
On June 2, 2023, the date of his arrest, law enforcement found Thomas in the bedroom of his home and recovered a baggie containing about 100 blue M-30 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, along with a loaded Glock 21 Gen4 pistol that had been equipped with a “giggle switch,” which converted the firearm into a fully automatic machine gun.
In addition to possessing a machine gun and conspiring to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl, Thomas, whose rap stage name is “Cruddy Murda,” often boasted about firearms and acts of violence in his songs. Below is a chart outlining the status and charges of other defendants in the case:
|
DEFENDANT |
AGE |
LOCATION |
CHARGES/SENTENCE |
|
Hector David Valdez, aka “Curl” |
26 |
Santa Fe Springs, California |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
|
Craig Eastman |
20 |
Washington, D.C. |
Pleaded guilty July 25, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl. Sentencing: January 7, 2025. |
| Charles Jeffrey Taylor |
20 |
Washington, D.C. |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. |
| Raymond Nava, Jr. |
20 |
Bell Gardens, California |
Sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy 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 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Max Alexander Carias Torres |
26 |
Bell Gardens, California |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering |
| Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy” |
34 |
Washington, D.C. | Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Marvin Anthony Bussie, aka “Money Marr” |
21 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Marcus Orlando Brown |
28 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced on October 9, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Columbian Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda” |
26 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced October 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden |
29 |
Washington, D.C. | Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Andre Malik Edmond, aka “Draco” |
23 |
Temple Hills, Maryland | Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Treyveon James Johnson, aka “Treyski” |
20 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Sentenced Sept. 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Karon Olufemi Blalock, aka “Fat Bags” |
30 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
|
Ronte Ricardo Greene, aka “Cardiddy” |
28 |
Washington, D.C. |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. |
| Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21” |
38 |
Washington, D.C. | Conspiracy to distribute 400 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” |
27 |
Alexandria, Virginia | Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Paul Alejandro Felix |
25 |
Glendale, California |
Pleaded guilty July 1, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Sentencing: November 6, 2024 |
|
Omar Arana, aka “Frogs” |
27 |
Cudahy, California |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano” |
26 |
San Diego, California |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. |
| Raul Pacheco Ramirez |
30 |
Long Beach, California |
Pleaded guilty July 19, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. Sentencing: November 26, 2024. |
| Giovani Alejandro Briones |
30 |
Victorville, California |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
| Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez |
26 |
Rosarito, Mexico |
Conspiracy to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl; Conspiracy to commit international money laundering. |
The prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional 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 W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section.
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