"Showtime," Leader of Massive Middle Georgia Drug Operation, Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

Macon—The final two of ten defendants involved in a large-scale illicit drug operation based in Warner Robins, Georgia have been sentenced to prison for their crimes, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. U.S. District Judge Marc Treadwell sentenced Travis McKenzie a/k/a “Showtime,” 38, of Warner Robins, GA on Thursday, October 3, 2019 to 300 months in prison. On February 15, 2019, Mr. McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, “crack” cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, alprazolam and more than 50 kilograms of marijuana. Co-defendant Clarence Bogan, 40, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 25, 2019 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced to 130 months in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.

“The curtain has closed on Showtime and his entire criminal organization,” said Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney. “I am proud of the seamless effort displayed by our partner law enforcement agencies to coordinate the successful take-down of a massive drug trafficking operation that was ruining lives in Middle Georgia. Mr. McKenzie’s unique business model allowed him to gain substantial profits by directly controlling many points of sale, all at the expense of addicted Georgians, their wounded families and our society, gravely harmed by the drug epidemic. I want to commend our partner law enforcement agencies for their role in ending this insidious drug trafficking network.”

“This case highlights the joint commitment, dedication, and partnership between our state and federal partners in combatting drug trafficking in our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Chris Hacker of the FBI Atlanta field office. “McKenzie wreaked havoc on his community and fueled the flames of the drug epidemic in this country. This sentence sends a message that the FBI and its law enforcement partners are devoted to taking drug traffickers off our streets to clean up our neighborhoods.” 

“It was an extensive investigation that was a collaborative effort between many agencies. Travis McKenzie was a major drug dealer in Houston County, and we are very pleased with the sentence,” said Captain Jon Holland, Chief Investigator, Commander, Criminal Investigations Division, Houston County Sheriff’s Office. “The successful result in this case shows what happens when local, state and federal agencies work together. We want to thank the other agencies working with us to investigate this case and move forward with a successful prosecution.”

“This was a very large scale drug operation responsible for many overdoses in Middle Georgia,” said Stephen Lynn, Chief of Police, City of Perry, Georgia. “It was a tremendously successful take down, involving multiple agencies, which shows the importance of partnership and teamwork.”

“The show is finally over for ‘Showtime’ and his ring of criminals who flooded the Warner Robbins area with dangerous drugs,” said Robert J. Hammer, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta. “Georgia law enforcement at both the state and federal level is committed to removing both the illicit drugs and those criminals that sell them from our streets.”

Mr. McKenzie admitted in his guilty plea to orchestrating a large-scale illicit drug trafficking operation based in Warner Robins, Georgia. From December 18, 2014, until his arrest on June 28, 2017, Mr. McKenzie and his co-conspirators were documented storing and distributing large quantities of illegal drugs, including cocaine, crack, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl from various sources. The drugs were sold in smaller quantities to sellers with their own customers or directly to users from various locations, including “trap houses” located in Warner Robins, where Mr. McKenzie resided. Mr. McKenzie not only directly controlled the sale of narcotics at each of the trap houses, but also supplied and facilitated other co-conspirators selling directly from those locations. Law enforcement conducted more than 70 controlled buys during the course of the investigation, and surveillance, including wire and electronic telephone interceptions, documented the near daily purchase and sale of controlled substances by Mr. McKenzie and the organization to a large number of different people.

The co-conspirators are as follows:

Jonathan Haslem, 38, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 8, 2019 to one count conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute cocaine, “crack” cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, alprazolam and more than 50 kilograms of marijuana. He was sentenced on June 27, 2019 to 220 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Kimseing Le, 31, of Atlanta, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to one count conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on August 14, 2019 to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

LaTray McKenzie, 20, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to two counts of using a communication facility to facilitate a drug trafficking offense. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 84 months in prison and one year of supervised release.

Tamika Lashawn Hickey, 37, of Perry, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 4, 2019 to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. She was sentenced on June 27, 2019 to 50 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Justin High, 32, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on February 27, 2019 to one-count conspiracy to distribute 50 kilograms or more of marijuana. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 42 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Esha Hill, 30, of Warner Robins, GA, entered a guilty plea on March 4, 2019 to one count misprision of a felony. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 33 months in prison and one year of supervised release.

Kaelin Varrett, 25, of Warner Robins, GA entered a guilty to plea to one count possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release.

Thomas Jeffrey Locke, 52, of Reynolds, GA entered a guilty plea on February 20, 2019 to possession with intent to distribute, cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced on June 13, 2019 to three years of probation.

The case was investigated by the Perry Police Department, the Houston County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI, with assistance from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations, ICE. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert McCullers prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.