Lee County Sheriff’s Office arrests 22 people in “Operation Gang Shield”

Investigators from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office say they’ve arrested 22 people as part of Operation Gang Shield, which targeted a violent street gang called “Sex, Money, Murder.”

This was a seven-month, multi-agency investigation that led to the arrests, the sheriff’s office said.

It says Sex, Money, Murder (SMM) is a part of the United Blood Nation, originally founded in the late 1980s in New York City. It says the gang is known for its hierarchical structure and involvement in violent crime, narcotics offenses and organized criminal conspiracies across multiple states.

The sheriff’s office says in recent years, SMM has expanded its footprint into smaller communities throughout the southeast.

Beginning in May, investigators from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office started an investigation into SMM. Working with state and federal partners, Lee County Sheriff’s Office Investigators worked to identify key participants, disrupt criminal networks, and restore safety to affected neighborhoods.

The 22 people arrested through Operation Gang Shield are collectively facing 79 criminal charges including violations under the Alabama Criminal Enterprise Prevention Act, violent offenses, firearms related offenses, fraud related offenses and narcotics related offenses, the sheriff’s office says.

Search warrants executed as part of the operation resulted in the seizure of eight guns, some of which have been connected to various shootings in Alabama, and other evidence of ongoing organized criminal activity.

The sheriff’s office says these people have been arrested:

Khalif Da’Quan Kellum, 26, of Kellyton
Compelling Street Gang Membership
Identity Theft x3
Attempted Theft of Property 1st x2
Theft of Property 3rd

Damien Antwon Goodwin, 25, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x2 (Currently being held in the Chambers County Jail pending charges of Attempted Murder and Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle)

Braylon Isayah Meadows, 18, of Opelika
Robbery 1st
Use of a Firearm to Further Interest a Criminal Enterprise
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Armod Kiante Reynolds, 29, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Antonio Cordell Finley, 33, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Kentavious Armoni Thomas, 26, of Opelika
Robbery 1st
Compelling Street Gang Membership x5
Probation Violation x2

Darrick Duran Hunter Jr, 24, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x5

Derrion Damon Malik Brock, 25, of Lanett
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Ramil Emmanuel Saqaun Dickerson, 23, of Phenix City
Compelling Street Gang Membership x4

Jawahski La’Ted Dickerson, 19, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x4

Un-named Juvenile, 17, of Opelika
Robbery 1st

T’Harra Jarnevious Brunson, 21, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x4

Kejuan Jermichael Gopher, 19, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x5
Possession of Marijuana 2nd
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Petronius Javon Bailey, 18, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x2
Possession of Marijuana 2nd

Jayden Kamarious Buchannon, 24, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x2
Possession of Drug Paraphernalia

Jar’ki Recell Brooks, 24, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x4

Ty’Shawn Durrell Wright, 23, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x7

Devin Kyle Roberson, 20, of Opelika
Robbery 1st
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Tamia Monae Sharnell Patrick, 27, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership

Radrekius Tykel Smith, 26, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x2

Damontae Martez Martin, 27, of Opelika
Compelling Street Gang Membership x3

Jer’myah Caro’linda-Irulan Wood, 22, of Auburn
Identity Theft x3
Attempted Theft of Property 1st
Theft of Property 3rd

This investigation remains ongoing and additional charges are expected, the sheriff’s office says.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office says it extends its appreciation to the numerous agencies whose assistance made Operation Gang Shield possible. This collective effort was supported by the Muscogee County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshal Service Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alabama Attorney General’s Office, Auburn Police Department, Opelika Police Department, Valley Police Department, Lanett Police Department, Tallapoosa County Drug Task Force, Dekalb County Gang Unit, Georgia Gang Investigators Association, and Alabama Gang Investigators Association. Their collaboration was instrumental in the success of this operation.

— Information from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office