8 indicted for trafficking ecstasy out of a Jacksonville ‘trap house,’ say federal investigators

Jacksonville, Fla — Action News Jax Robert Grant is digging through the 53-page complaint and will have more details on FOX30 at 10

Eight people have been formally indicted in connection to an armed drug trafficking organization in Jacksonville, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

According to court documents, the suspects distributed illegal narcotics, primarily out of a “trap house” on 14th Street, beginning July 2018 and continuing through April 2021 when six of the defendants were arrested.

The suspects face charges of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly) and α‑Pyrrolidino­pentiophenone (also known as “alpha-PVP” or “flakka”), said the DOJ.

Federal investigators say the suspects are Kimberly Michelle Claridy Walker, 44, Neal Merrell Walker, 50, Marcus Antonio Peterson, 35, Ramone Lazai Astin, 35, Alfred Eugene Bell, 36, Mar’quez Maurice Mickler, 20, David Lee Geathers, 24, and Brandiesa Tylese Williams, 24.

During the investigation bank account records and other documents revealed that on two occasions Kimberly and Neal Walker, with the assistance of the other suspects, laundered nearly $100,000, which they used to buy tax deeds for five properties in Jacksonville, according to the DOJ.

Investigators said that bank records also reflect that between June 13, 2019, and November 30, 2020, approximately $330,000 was deposited, almost entirely in cash, into an account in the name of a business entity owned by the Walkers.

If convicted, investigators say each suspect faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison.

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