Georgia prison inmate sentenced for trafficking fentanyl from China
Federal agents discovered over 175 metal pans used to soak paper in synthetic cannabinoids during a raid of a Cordele home on July 22, 2024. (U.S Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia)
ATHENS, Ga. - A Georgia inmate and his co-conspirator will serve significant time in federal prison for trafficking fentanyl and synthetic designer drugs from China into Southwest Georgia.
International Drug Conspiracy
What we know:
Federal officials sentenced 45-year-old Devito Duran Young to serve 27 years and three months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release. Young, an inmate at Macon State Prison, utilized encrypted chat applications on a contraband cellphone to purchase fentanyl from suppliers in China. He then directed 29-year-old Trace Davrin Works of Mableton to retrieve the drugs and ship them to various customer addresses. Both men used cryptocurrency to pay for the illicit shipments.
Works received a sentence of 21 years and 10 months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release. The two men were held accountable for trafficking 2,610 fentanyl pills weighing 279.64 grams. Young was additionally held accountable for trafficking 5,502.55 grams of a new synthetic cannabinoid. According to court documents, the conspiracy began in 2023 while Young was incarcerated.
Federal agents discovered over 175 metal pans used to soak paper in synthetic cannabinoids during a raid of a Cordele home on July 22, 2024. (U.S Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia)
Uncovering the Lab
What we don't know:
While authorities detailed the roles of multiple co-conspirators, officials have not yet confirmed the exact dates or locations for the arrest of two accused Chinese suppliers. Xin Wang, 28, and Gao Yong, 29, were charged in a federal indictment unsealed in August 2025 and currently remain at-large.
Federal agents previously raided a residence on 4th Avenue in Cordele that served as an illegal drug conversion lab. The search yielded more than 175 metal pans, measuring beakers, hundreds of drug-soaked sheets of paper and shipping labels addressed to inmates nationwide. Law enforcement also seized and forfeited $170,000 in cryptocurrency from Wang as part of the Homeland Security Task Force investigation. Two other co-conspirators, Andreaus Benard Oliver Sr. and Andreaus Benard Oliver Jr., previously pleaded guilty and await sentencing on Aug. 6.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Georgia, who explained how the international drug ring operated and detailed the federal sentences handed down by U.S. District Judge Tilman E. "Tripp" Self III, as well as statements from representatives of the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.