Four Columbus, Georgia men will spend years behind bars after being sentenced for their roles in a drug trafficking operation that funneled significant quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana through the region, federal prosecutors announced Tuesday.
The convictions stem from Operation Sweet Silence, a multi-agency investigation that targeted the Zohannon gang’s drug trafficking activities from August 2022 through May 2024. The operation involved extensive wiretapping, surveillance, and coordinated efforts between the FBI, DEA, and Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office.
The heaviest sentence went to 38-year-old Undrae Hayes, known on the street as “Skizite,” who will serve 8 years (96 months) in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. When authorities apprehended Hayes, they discovered more than 208 grams of methamphetamine, 9 grams of suspected heroin, a digital scale, and plastic baggies — the standard toolkit of a drug dealer.
Malik Williams, 27, known as “YSN Bird,” wasn’t far behind with a 51-month sentence for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. During a vehicle search, investigators uncovered nearly 3 kilograms of marijuana divided into 13 bags, along with quantities of cocaine.
What made the operation particularly effective? Wiretaps. Authorities monitored the phone of Fernando Brown, capturing incriminating conversations that ultimately helped build cases against several defendants.
Those intercepted calls proved damaging for Dahvontay Richardson, 28, who received 33 months for conspiracy to distribute marijuana and cocaine. Investigators recorded calls documenting the sale of an ounce of cocaine at a local Dollar Tree store.
The fourth defendant, Jeffrey Kimbrough, 29, known as “YSN Trap,” avoided prison time but received three years’ probation for conspiracy to distribute marijuana. In one intercepted conversation, he was heard instructing someone to “grab that mambo serve them a cutie out of the mambo go in the closet in the bathroom” — using coded language where “mambo” referred to marijuana and “cutie” meant a quarter pound of the drug.
The operation wasn’t limited to small-scale deals. At one point, authorities seized 232 pounds of marijuana at Atlanta’s airport after co-conspirators returned from Seattle, where they had reportedly gone to purchase 300 pounds of the drug.
These sentences represent just a portion of the broader Operation Sweet Silence investigation, which has already resulted in multiple convictions and continues to target drug trafficking networks operating in the Columbus area and beyond.
