East Texas Drug Ring Leader Gets Life Sentence

Law enforcement in East Texas have once again shown that if you’re caught dealing drugs here there will be severe consequences. According to CBS 19, an East Texas man has now been sentenced to life in prison for leading a crack cocaine ring near schools in Tyler.

How Authorities Uncovered the Tyler Drug Operation

Samatraus Forge pleaded guilty to three counts of engaging in organized crime. And just last week he was sentenced to life in prison. Forge was leading an operation selling illegal drugs, with crack cocaine being the primary drug sold, and drug deals taking place near schools and daycare facilities.

Controlled Buys Helped Build the Criminal Case

Forge was arrested in 2025 after a credible informant told detectives that he was the head of a criminal organization with nine people working under him to distribute drugs. On multiple occasions law enforcement would make a controlled buy, meaning they would give money to Forge or one of his associates to by crack cocaine at Tyler-area homes.

During the purchases, officers found meth, crack cocaine, multiple firearms, scales, baggies, packaging material and large amounts of U.S. currency. The controlled buys took place from October 2024 to May 2025.

Get our free mobile app

Who Was Involved in the East Texas Drug Ring

The co-conspirators in the case working for Forge include:

Kendrez Johnson
Brittany Tuck
Johnathan Blackshire
Charles Miller
Tommy Spikes
Derrish Graydon
Ronald Calloway
Jannie Brown
Quashunn Mitchell
Jeffery Padilla

Padilla is the only other person in this case who has been sentenced and is now serving 25 years in prison. In May 2025, another co-conspirator, Tommy Spikes was found dead in a house where narcotics were sold regularly.

Each location where drugs were sold were within 1,000 feet of elementary schools and daycare facilities.