Seven individuals from Florida are facing charges in a 23-count indictment for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, fentanyl, and oxycodone.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida (USAO) has announced that they have charged an additional person with unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. This brings the total number of individuals charged to eight.
The defendants in this case are Michael Donaldson, aged 37, from Clearview; Leo Gilbert, aged 35, from Miami Gardens; Jamare Andre Gardner, also known as “Maury,” aged 25, from Miami Gardens; Deshun Richard James, aged 36; Jose Albert Ruiz, aged 34, from Miami; Kim Whitehurst, also known as “A-Boy,” aged 31, from Miami; and Hasani Nesbitt, also known as “Get Right,” aged 45, from Miami Gardens.
A convicted felon has accused Donte Ike Gosha, a 37-year-old resident of Miami Gardens, of possessing a firearm. He, along with others, is also facing charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and distribution within 1,000 feet of South Florida schools.
Donaldson, Gosha, Whitehurst, Gardner, and Gilbert were apprehended in Miami-Dade County on July 29th. They made their first court appearances on July 30th.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, alongside Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI Miami Field Office, Chief Delma Noel-Pratt of the Miami Gardens Police Department, and Special Agent in Charge Christopher A. Robinson of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Miami Field Division, jointly announced this case.
With assistance from the Safe Streets Violent Gang Task Force (SSVGTF), the FBI, Miami Gardens Police Department, and ATF conducted the investigation. The SSVGTF consists of members from the U.S. Secret Service, City of Miami Police Department, and the Miami-Dade Police Department. Marc Chattah, an Assistant U.S. Attorney, is pursuing the case.
All defendants are presumed innocent in court until proven guilty, as stated in the indictment that contains allegations.