Law enforcement recovers 20 lbs. of Carfentanil

CHATHAM COUNTY, GA – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that his Gang Prosecution Unit has secured the indictment of six individuals in Chatham County following a multistate investigation into the trafficking of illegal narcotics, including Carfentanil – a synthetic opioid that is 10,000 times more potent than Morphine and 100 times more potent than Fentanyl. Altogether, law enforcement was able to recover 20 lbs. of Carfentanil that, as asserted in the indictment, was intended for distribution in Chatham County and throughout the state.

As further alleged in the indictment, several of the defendants are also members of Waters Ave Crew (WAC), a criminal street gang based out of East Savanah with ties to the Piru Bloods. 

This case was investigated by the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT), the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) District Office in Savannah, Georgia, and DEA’s Division Office in Phoenix, Arizona, with assistance from the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit. 

“Thanks to the partnership between our Gang Prosecution Unit, CNT and DEA, we were able to seize massive amounts of Carfentanil, which is 100 times more potent than Fentanyl — saving countless lives in Chatham County and the surrounding area,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “Keeping Georgians safe is our top priority, and when it comes to fighting the opioid crisis, we’re not letting up. We’re dismantling the violent drug trafficking networks and prosecuting all those involved.”

“As the Director of the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team, I am always stressing the importance of forming strong relationships at the local, state and federal level,” said CNT Director Michael Sarhatt. “The result of this case demonstrates how important ‘partnerships’ can be when working with all levels of law enforcement across multiple jurisdictions. The impact of dismantling an organization that is capable of distributing 20 lbs. of Carfentanil at one time is enormous. The true impact of this case is the lives saved in Chatham County.”

The Enterprise and Racketeering Conspiracy

Together, the following five defendants are alleged to have formed a criminal enterprise at the center of this indictment.  

  • Edkes Hakeem Mitchell
  • Rondell Javon Owens
  • Matthew Rigsby
  • Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins
  • Tashiylah Nikeairia Riley

As asserted in the indictment, the enterprise sought to illegally obtain money, Carfentanil and other controlled substances. To achieve this objective, the defendants are alleged to have engaged in repeated criminal activity, including, but not limited to:

  • Procuring Carfentanil from the Phoenix, Arizona, area for distribution in Chatham County and elsewhere in the State of Georgia and Georgia prisons;
  • Procuring Marijuana from sources in California and elsewhere for distribution in Chatham County and elsewhere in the State of Georgia; 
  • Initiating financial transactions, disguised to conceal their true purpose, between Savannah-based members of the enterprise and the Phoenix-based source of supply;
  • Utilizing drug distribution proceeds to support, directly and indirectly, the criminal street gang Waters Ave Crew (WAC) and its members or associates; and
  • Jointly operating multiple locations that acted as safe houses from which members stored and sold drugs.

As further asserted in the indictment, each of these five defendants played the following role or roles within the organization that enabled its operation and success:

  • Narcotics Source of Supply: Edkes Hakeem Mitchell
  • Narcotics Procurement and Transportation: Matthew Rigsby
  • Distribution: Edkes Hakeem Mitchell, Rondell Javon Owens, and Matthew Rigsby
  • Money Laundering: Edkes Hakeem Mitchell, Matthew Rigsby, Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins, Tashiylah Nikeairia Riley, and Rondell Javon Owens

As such, all five defendants are facing at least one count of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act, and Money Laundering.

Waters Ave Crew

The following four defendants are also facing charges related to their alleged association with the criminal street gang Waters Ave Crew (WAC).

  • Edkes Hakeem Mitchell (aka Edkius Mitchell, G.O.A.T. or Keyes)
  • Rondell Javon Owens (aka Fly Dell or Smelly)
  • Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins (aka Heem)
  • Devonta Rakeem Winn (aka Von)

Mitchell and Owens are alleged to be high ranking associates of WAC.

Chatham County Indictment

On Sept. 2, 2026, the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit presented evidence to a Chatham County Grand Jury, resulting in the indictment* of all six defendants. 

A complete list of all charges against each defendant is listed below. 

Edkes Hakeem Mitchell, 34, of Savannah:

  • 3 counts of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • 3 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
  • 17 counts of Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 2 counts of Attempt to Violate the Controlled Substances Act 
  • 26 counts of Money Laundering

Rondell Javon Owens, 33, of Savannah:

  • 3 counts of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • 3 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
  • 6 counts of Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 2 counts of Money Laundering

Matthew Rigsby, 39, of Savannah:

  • 3 counts of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • 17 counts of Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 2 counts of Attempt to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 18 counts of Money Laundering

Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins, 34, of Savannah: 

  • 3 counts of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • 2 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
  • 5 counts of Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 2 counts of Money Laundering

Devonta Rakeem Winn, 34, of Savannah: 

  • 2 counts of Violation of the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act
  • 1 count of Money Laundering

Tashiylah Nikeairia Riley, 30, of Savannah:

  • 3 counts of Violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
  • 5 counts of Conspiracy to Violate the Controlled Substances Act
  • 2 counts of Money Laundering

No further information about the investigation or the indictment may be released at this time by the Attorney General’s Office.   

About the Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit

In 2022, with the support of Governor Brian Kemp and members of the General Assembly, Attorney General Chris Carr created Georgia’s first statewide Gang Prosecution Unit.

Since it began its historic work on July 1, 2022, the Gang Prosecution Unit has investigated and prosecuted cases in Athens-Clarke, Barrow, Bibb, Bryan, Chatham, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Dougherty, Fulton, Gwinnett, Laurens, Lowndes, Muscogee, Richmond, Spalding, Thomas, Upson and Washington counties, with more than 140 convictions secured across the state.   

Carr’s Gang Prosecution Unit is based in Atlanta, with regional, satellite prosecutors and investigators in Albany, Augusta, Columbus, Macon, Savannah and Southeast Georgia.   

The Gang Prosecution Unit is housed in the Attorney General’s Prosecution Division, which also includes Carr’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, his White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit, and his Organized Retail Crime Unit.

*Members of the public should keep in mind that indictments contain only allegations against the individual against whom the indictment is sought. A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and it will be the government’s burden at trial to prove the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the allegations contained in the indictment.