A Florida woman has been sentenced for her connection with a Crenshaw and Covington County drug conspiracy.

A federal judge sentenced Lashana Nakiah Foreman, 37, from Crestview, Florida to 204 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance. The sentence followed Foreman’s Oct. 20, 2022 conviction and was part of a larger drug conspiracy case involving seven co-defendants and spanning Crenshaw, Covington, and other multiple other Alabama counties.

According to U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Stewart, who announced the sentence, the judge also ordered Foreman to serve five years of supervised release after her prison term. Because federal prisoners are not eligible for parole, Foreman will serve her entire term.

Federal prosecutors proved Foreman’s involvement in the larger conspiracy during her two-day Oct. 2022 trial. Evidence heard from a recorded March 2019 telephone conversation revealed that she and Devarlos Quantrel Shanklin of Luverne made a deal for Foreman to purchase five ounces of methamphetamines in Opp.

During the call, Foreman agreed to purchase the drugs for $1,625.00 from Shankin. The two later met at Burger King in Opp and completed the transaction. Law enforcement attempted to make a traffic stop of her vehicle but Foreman continued driving and was pursued by officers until she crossed the Florida state line.

Agents monitored another call later the same night, during which Foreman admitted to Shanklin she had fled and thrown something from her vehicle. A search of the area uncovered a bag containing approximately five ounces of methamphetamine and a firearm.

Shanklin received a 37-month prison sentence on Nov. 15, 2022 after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Six other individuals pleaded guilty for their involvement in the conspiracy, including Travis Lavon Broughton of Brantley, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime in August 2021. Broughton was sentenced to 111 months in prison on March 23, 2022.

Two other Luverne residents, Caneatra Shante Shanklin and Robert Curtis Willis are serving time for their involvement in the conspiracy. Also convicted in the case were Eddie Rodgers from Fort Walton Beach, Florida and Eddie Nunley of Atlanta, Georgia.

Multiple agencies cooperated in investigating the case, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with assistance from the Coffee County Sheriff’s Office, the Opp Police Department, the 22nd Judicial Drug Task Force, and the Montgomery Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorneys Brandon W. Bates and B. Chelsea Phillips prosecuted the case.