3 more charged in Chatham County carfentanil trafficking case, bringing total to 9

by Summer Swanson

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Three more people are now charged in a multistate drug trafficking case in Chatham County, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Friday. Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit secured a superseding indictment, which brings the total number of defendants in the case to nine.

The original six defendants were indicted back in September.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 6 indicted in multi-state Carfentanil trafficking operation in Savannah; Gang ties alleged

Some of those original defendants are also facing new charges. Edkes Hakeem Mitchell already faced roughly 50 counts. He’s now also charged with trafficking carfentanil and possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The people indicted are accused of possessing and distributing illegal drugs, including carfentanil. The Attorney General’s Office described carfentanil as a synthetic opioid that’s 10,000 times more potent than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.

Law enforcement recovered 20 pounds of carfentanil in the case and continued the investigation. That work resulted in the latest indictment and additional drug and firearm seizures.

“If you’re trafficking Carfentanil, you’re knowingly putting lives at risk, and we won’t stand for it,” Carr said. “This is a drug that’s 100 times more potent than Fentanyl, and it has absolutely no use for human beings. That’s why we have continued to work this case – going after all those involved both in Georgia and across the country, and we’re not letting up. We’re grateful for our partnership with the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team and the DEA, and we’re fighting each day to keep Georgians safe.”

The Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s District Office in Savannah and the DEA’s Division Office in Phoenix, Arizona, investigated the case with assistance from Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit.

Defendants

The three newly charged defendants, as obtained in November 2026, are:

Omar Ledesma, also known as Omar Ledezma
Leval Tyrone Pride, also known as Level Pride
Travis Javonte Bright

The six original defendants, as obtained in September 2026, are:

Edkes Hakeem Mitchell, also known as Edkius Mitchell, G.O.A.T. or Keyes
Rondell Javon Owens, also known as Fly Dell or Smelly
Matthew Rigsby
Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins, also known as Heem
Tashiylah Nikeairia Riley
Devonta Rakeem Winn, also known as Von

Alleged enterprise and racketeering conspiracy

According to the Office of the Attorney General, eight of the defendants are alleged to have formed a criminal enterprise at the center of the indictment: Mitchell, Owens, Rigsby, Jenkins, Riley, Ledesma, Pride and Bright.

SEE: Georgia’s Attorney General Chris Carr talks Gang Prosecution Unit expansion to Savannah

According to the indictment, the enterprise tried to illegally obtain money, carfentanil, also known as “blues,” and marijuana. The defendants are alleged to have engaged in repeated criminal activity, including but not limited to:

Procuring carfentanil from the Phoenix, Arizona, area by coordinating with a Phoenix-based source of supply by telephone, Apple FaceTime, text message and Apple iMessage.
Procuring marijuana from sources in California and elsewhere for distribution in Chatham County and throughout Georgia.
Initiating financial transactions, disguised to conceal their true purpose, between Savannah-based members of the enterprise and the Phoenix-based source of supply.
Distributing narcotics received from the Phoenix area throughout Chatham County via the United Parcel Service or other couriers.
Using drug distribution proceeds to support, directly and indirectly, the criminal street gang Waters Ave Crew, known as WAC, and its members or associates.
Using drug distribution proceeds to maintain Mitchell’s leadership or organizer role in WAC.
Distributing controlled substances, including carfentanil and marijuana, in Chatham County, elsewhere in Georgia and in Georgia prisons.
Distributing narcotics and contraband to co-conspirators incarcerated in one or more Georgia Department of Corrections prisons.
Jointly operating multiple locations that acted as safe houses where members stored and sold drugs.

The indictment asserts that the eight defendants played these roles:

Carfentanil source of supply: Ledesma and Mitchell
Marijuana source of supply: Mitchell and Owens
Narcotics procurement and transportation: Rigsby and Bright
Carfentanil distribution: Mitchell, Owens and Pride
Marijuana distribution: Mitchell, Owens and Bright
Money laundering: Mitchell, Rigsby, Jenkins, Riley, Owens and Bright

All eight face at least one count of violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

Waters Ave Crew charges

Five defendants also face charges related to their alleged association with WAC: Mitchell, Owens, Jenkins, Winn and Bright.

Mitchell and Owens are alleged to be high-ranking associates of the gang, according to the Office of the Attorney General.

Charges in the new indictment

On Nov. 4, 2026, the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit presented evidence to a Chatham County grand jury, which indicted all nine defendants.

The Attorney General’s Office said no further information about the investigation or the indictment may be released at this time. A majority of the defendants are from the Savannah-area.