A Mobile man, Quenton James Franklin, 28, has been sentenced in federal court for his involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy. Franklin was part of the Otis Sanders drug trafficking organization and was charged as a co-defendant in a federal indictment. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge in August 2024.
The leader of the organization, Otis Sanders, was convicted by a jury in May 2023. Evidence showed that Sanders ran a large-scale interstate drug distribution operation from south Mobile County with connections to Biloxi, Mississippi, and Houston, Texas. Methamphetamine shipments were acquired in Houston and transported to Mobile by couriers using private vehicles and commercial transportation. Proceeds from the drugs were sent back to Houston. The organization used violence to support its operations, including an incident involving a drive-by shooting on Ramsay Road.
In July 2024, Sanders received a 20-year federal prison sentence for various drug law violations.
Franklin served as a courier within the organization, transporting methamphetamine from Texas to Biloxi, Mississippi. From there, others distributed the drugs throughout Mobile and other areas. Franklin also sold some of these drugs directly in Mobile.
United States District Court Judge Kristi K. Dubose sentenced Franklin to three years in custody followed by five years of supervised release. During this period, he will be subject to searches based on reasonable suspicion of violating supervision conditions and must undergo drug testing and treatment. No fine was imposed; however, Franklin is required to pay $100 in special assessments.
U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello announced the sentencing decision.
The case involved multiple law enforcement agencies: the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Department of Homeland Security; Beaumont Police Department (Texas); St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office (Louisiana); and Mobile Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gloria Bedwell prosecuted the case for the United States government.
This investigation was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal networks through collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.