A Gwinnett County man prosecutors say ran a fentanyl and meth distribution ring under the brand “Capone, Inc.” has been ordered to spend 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges tied to multiple overdose deaths. David “Capone” Shane Lancaster, 47, will also serve 10 years of probation after he gets out. Prosecutors say the plea deal wraps up counts that included involuntary manslaughter and a violation of Georgia’s racketeering law.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, Lancaster pleaded guilty to violating Georgia’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of selling fentanyl and three counts of possession of a Schedule II controlled substance. The court responded with a 30-year prison term, followed by 10 years of probation.
Prosecutors connected drugs sold by Lancaster to the deaths of 25-year-old Eldin Mehmedovic, who died May 23, 2023, and Sean Robert Wignall, who died in early January 2024, reporting from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows. Those fatalities were at the center of a months-long investigation that eventually led to Lancaster’s arrest last year.
How prosecutors built the case
Investigators say they used Lancaster’s phone records to track drug transactions between May 2023 and March 2024 and that he operated under the “Capone, Inc.” name, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson put it bluntly, saying, “People are dying from these drugs, and we are going to ensure that those who keep dealing face serious consequences.”…