Federal juries convict “Paper Gang Family” drug traffickers and associate

Date: Jan. 12, 2026

Contact: [email protected] ATLANTA - Kory Keon Solomon, Antonio Pierre Ashmeade, and Rodrigus Dartez Williams have been convicted by federal juries for their roles in a drug trafficking operation based in Ellenwood, Georgia. On January 8, 2026, Solomon was found guilty of conspiracy and possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. On December 17, 2025, Ashmeade and Williams, who are members of the "Paper Gang Family," were found guilty of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.

"These defendants set up their drug operation in metro-Atlanta, blatantly peddling their poison around students' bus stops," said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. "Due to a tenacious investigation and determined prosecution, they were convicted at trial and now face significant sentences in federal prison."

"This case sends a clear message: violent drug traffickers who threaten public safety will be aggressively targeted, dismantled, and held accountable," said Jae W. Chung, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

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 metro-Atlanta area. During the investigation, agents observed PGF members openly conduct drug deals on the same streets where school buses dropped off children.

In addition:

In July and August 2021, Williams sold methamphetamine to an individual in Ellenwood. After one drug deal, Williams posted a video to a social media website that depicted him flaunting the cash he had just received.

In February 2022, agents observed Solomon meet with a suspected PGF member and known drug trafficker in Ellenwood. Agents followed Solomon to a gas station and observed him retrieve a bag from his trunk and conceal suspected narcotics inside. Shortly thereafter, a Georgia State Patrol trooper stopped Solomon traveling on Interstate 75, searched Solomon's vehicle, and found two kilograms of cocaine and a 9mm handgun.

In April 2023, agents observed Ashmeade give a plastic shopping bag to a drug customer in a southeast Atlanta restaurant parking lot. When a Georgia State Patrol trooper attempted to stop his vehicle, the drug customer fled and tossed the plastic shopping bag. Law enforcement recovered half a kilogram of methamphetamine from the bag and surrounding area.

On a date yet to be determined, U.S. District Judge Thomas W. Thrash, Jr. will sentence Antonio Ashmeade of Atlanta, Georgia, Rodrigus Dartez Williams of Atlanta, Georgia, and Kory Solomon of Macon, Georgia. Ashmeade and Williams each face the possibility of life imprisonment and a mandatory minimum of 10 years. Solomon must be sentenced to at least five years of imprisonment and may be sentenced to up to 40 years.

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Johnny Baer, C. Brock Brockington, Teresa Stolze, and Elizabeth M. Hathaway are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) 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.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a 90% federal conviction rate. The agency has 19 field offices located across the U.S. and 14 attaché posts abroad.