Vacha Vaughn Sentenced To 438 Months For Drug Conspiracy

Memphis, TN – Vacha Vaughn, 36, of Memphis, TN was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Samuel H. Mays, Jr. to 438 months in prison for his role in the Craig Petties Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), announced U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III and Resident Agent-in-Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Memphis office Brian Chambers.

On December 19, 2007, Vaughn pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine. As outlined in the indictment, Vaughn was a member of a criminal racketeering enterprise, the Petties DTO, whose members conspired with cocaine traffickers in Mexico, Texas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and elsewhere. As part of the conspiracy, cocaine was prepared, packaged and/or stored, prior to distribution to buyers in “stash houses.” The defendant and the co-conspirators used these “stash houses” to avoid detection by law enforcement authorities. It was further part of the conspiracy that the defendants and their co-conspirators sorted, counted, packaged, and stored large amounts of cash derived from the sale of controlled substances in various co-conspirators’ premises in the Western District of Tennessee. The co-conspirators delivered large amounts of currency derived from the sale of cocaine from the Western District of Tennessee and elsewhere to Texas and Mexico. In order to facilitate continued drug trafficking and in order to prevent others from cooperating with law enforcement authorities, it was further part of the conspiracy that the defendant and the co-conspirators did kill other people. Over thirty people have been charged and convicted as part of this investigation.

In addition to the prison sentence, Mays also ordered Vaughn to serve five years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal prison system.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshals Service, the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department and the Olive Branch Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Pritchard on behalf of the government.