Members of the 'Paper Gang Family' and Accomplices Sentenced to Federal Prison

ATLANTA - Antonio Pierre Ashmeade, the last of 13 defendants prosecuted for their roles in a drug trafficking operation dismantled by Atlanta's multi-agency Homeland Security Task Force ("HSTF"), has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison.

"This HSTF investigation and federal prosecution disrupted an extensive drug distribution ring run by metro-Atlanta gang members," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "The defendants' lengthy sentences, which must be served without the possibility of parole, demonstrate that the potential financial gains from trafficking dangerous street drugs are not worth the consequences."

"This case is a testament to the strength of our partnerships," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. "Federal, state, and local law enforcement worked side by side to dismantle this organization piece by piece. Today's sentencing underscores what we can accomplish when we stand united against drug trafficking."

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2019, a DEA investigation revealed that individuals associated with the Paper Gang Family ("PGF"), an ostensible rap music label, were distributing large quantities of narcotics in the Atlanta area.

During the investigation, agents observed PGF members openly conduct drug deals on the same streets where school buses dropped off children. In April 2023, agents observed Ashmeade provide a plastic shopping bag with suspected narcotics to a drug customer in a southeast Atlanta parking lot. When a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempted to stop his vehicle, the drug customer fled and tossed a plastic bag with methamphetamine onto a sidewalk on Memorial Drive. On that occasion, law enforcement recovered half a kilogram of methamphetamine. Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 10,000 fentanyl pills, 25 kilograms of methamphetamine, 20 kilograms of cocaine, and 30 firearms connected with the PGF organization.

Earlier today, Ashmeade, 42 of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release. Ashmeade was convicted of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine following a jury trial on December 17, 2025.

The following defendants were previously sentenced in this case:

• Demarco Harper, 48, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
• Cyguifredo Hernandez, 34, of Jonesboro, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on December 18, 2023, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Rodrigus Dartez Williams, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 15 years in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine following a trial by jury on December 17, 2025.
• Christian Tevaris Wash, 45, of Stockbridge, Georgia, was sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on March 27, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Arthur Lee Hempen, 37, of Marietta, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on May 22, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and wire fraud.
• Alexavier Negron, 40, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on September 5, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Mario Bernard Peek, 39, of Ellenwood, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on August 26, 2025, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Terez Montavious Pippins, 39, of Forest Park, Georgia, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on June 11, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Dresten Toron Daniels, 39, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on August 25, 2025, to possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Kory Keon Solomon, 40, of Macon, Georgia, was sentenced to five years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, after he was found guilty of possession with intent to distribute cocaine following a trial by jury on January 8, 2026.
• Philip Michael Ricks, 40, of Leighton, Alabama, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on March 26, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.
• Daronta Arne Lee, 43, of Snow Hill, North Carolina, was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on May 6, 2024, to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Georgia State Patrol, the Clayton County Sheriff's Office, Walton County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Henry County Police Department, Atlanta Police Department, Crisp County Sheriff's Office, Fulton County Sheriff's Department, DeKalb County Police Department, and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Johnny Baer, C. Brock Brockington, Teresa M. Stolze, and Elizabeth M. Hathaway prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sekret Sneed substantially assisted with the judicial forfeiture of the seized firearms, drug proceeds, and vehicles.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. The Atlanta Wilhelm HSTF is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, CGIS, DEA, FBI, ICE-HSI, IRS-CI, DOL-OIG, DSS, USMS, USPIS, and USSS, as well as numerous state and local agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: https://www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney's Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.