Federal prosecutors say a Georgia drug pipeline stretched from Chinese suppliers straight into state prisons, with one man calling the shots from behind bars and another moving product across metro Atlanta. That operation took a major hit this week when both men admitted their roles in court.
Devito Duran Young, an inmate at Macon State Prison, and Trace Davrin Works, of Mableton, entered guilty pleas before a U.S. district judge on April 1, 2026, and are scheduled to be sentenced July 8, 2026, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. U.S. Attorney William R. Keyes said the defendants "trafficked fentanyl from China, profiting from the suffering of others," while an FBI Georgia supervisory resident agent warned the scheme put "thousands of lives" at risk. With the pleas now entered, the long-running case heads toward a high-stakes sentencing this summer.
Search Uncovered Cordele 'Lab'
The guilty pleas cap an investigation that came to a head in 2024, when federal agents hit a Cordele home with a search warrant and say they walked into what looked like a small-scale drug plant. On July 22, 2024, agents found more than 175 metal pans, jugs and bottles of suspected cannabinoids, hundreds of pre-soaked sheets and shipping labels addressed to inmates, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia. Prosecutors say the Cordele residence doubled as a processing spot for synthetic cannabinoids and a distribution hub for the broader trafficking network.
Prison-Based Orders, Crypto Payments
Prosecutors say Young used encrypted chat apps on a contraband cellphone inside Macon State Prison to place fentanyl orders with suppliers in China, while Works handled the ground game across metro Atlanta and central Georgia by receiving and distributing the pills. Investigators also allege that payments moved through cryptocurrency wallets run by the suppliers and that roughly $170,000 in crypto was seized from a supplier in China. Two alleged suppliers, Xin Wang and Gao Yong, remain fugitives with active warrants, as reported by FOX 5 Atlanta.
What They Face In Court
The unsealed indictment and the U.S. Attorney’s Office press release say the counts tied to Young and Works carry severe federal penalties, including maximum prison terms that can reach life and fines up to about $8 million per defendant, with certain fentanyl counts bringing mandatory minimum sentences. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the case and has emphasized how the overseas shipments and cryptocurrency payments allegedly linked Chinese suppliers to local distributors. Sentencing is set for July 8, 2026, in a federal system where there is no parole, per the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Broader Context
Federal officials say this case highlights how transnational suppliers and prison-based coordinators can work in tandem to move powerful synthetic drugs in small, hard-to-trace packages, a pattern investigators have been tracking across Georgia. For background on the earlier indictment and investigation, see our August coverage in Georgia inmates charged.
