Tulsa gang member pleads guilty in interstate guns-for-marijuana case in federal court | Crime News

Williams is the fifth defendant to plead guilty in the case. Also pleading guilty to firearms conspiracy was co-defendant Sheldon Tyrone Christopher Williams Jr. Co-defendants Brian Lee Thomas, Whitney D’ron Clark and Kenyante Hampton previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy, the release states.

The conspirators concealed the guns in backpacks, duffel bags and suitcases and transported them via cars and buses — using cash and false names to purchase bus tickets — to deliver to individuals in California, a grand jury alleged in the indictment.

In exchange for each handgun they delivered to California, the defendants received 1 to 2 pounds of marijuana shipped through the U.S. Postal Service. Tulsa postal employee and co-defendant Whitney D’ron Clark retrieved the packages and delivered them to other conspirators for sale, the release states.

Their prosecution was part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force’s Operation Squeezed Out. The task force identifies, disrupts and dismantles high-level criminal organizations using a prosecutor-led, multiagency approach, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The Tulsa Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick, who serves as the lead attorney for the task force, prosecuted the case.