OCALA, Florida— The head of a major drug trafficking organization who was busted earlier this year was sentenced this week to 25 years in federal prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
Devonne L. Walker, 36, of Lady Lake pleaded guilty in July to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance a little over a month after being arrested in Leesburg by Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies on June 25, 2021. He was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton Jr. in Ocala federal court.
At the time of his arrest, Walker was found to be in possession of a stolen firearm, more than 260 grams of methamphetamine, more than 80 grams of fentanyl and a small amount of cocaine and marijuana.
The evidence presented at Walker’s sentencing showed he was the leader and organizer of a Lake County drug conspiracy that imported more than 100 kilograms of methamphetamine, 50 kilograms of both marijuana and cocaine and 1 kilogram of heroin between 2018 and 2019. Walker organized his accomplices in Phoenix, Arizona to ship the drugs to Florida and Walker would then distribute the dope to other dealers in Central Florida.
Two of Walker’s co-conspirators have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting their sentences. A third person has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial January 2022.
The investigation was conducted by numerous agencies, including LCSO, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA,) the U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and prosecuted by Assistant United State Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.
