Two Members of Columbus Gang Found Guilty of Trafficking Over 2,000 Pounds of Marijuana
A federal jury has convicted two members of the Third World Mob gang in Columbus, Ohio, of conspiring to traffic over 2,000 pounds of marijuana. Klegewerges Abate, 35, and Abubakarr Savage, 34, were found guilty on all counts after a trial that lasted several days.
Abate was charged with conspiring to traffic at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana, as well as firearms offenses and wire fraud related to illegally obtaining COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Savage was convicted of conspiring to distribute at least 1,000 kilograms of marijuana.
According to court documents and testimony, members of the Third World Mob gang brought hundreds of pounds of marijuana from other states, such as California and Georgia, to sell in central Ohio. The gang used rental houses and houses leased or owned in other individuals’ names as “stash houses” to facilitate drug trafficking and store large amounts of cash.
In August 2019, Abate and others were found with a suitcase containing approximately $940,000 in cash in a house on Phlox Avenue in Blacklick. In November 2022, law enforcement officials searched a residence on Chapel Stone Road in Blacklick and found Abate and two co-conspirators with over 700 kilograms of marijuana and three firearms.
The gang leaders and members used violence and threats of violence to maintain control over their drug trafficking operations. Surveillance video presented at trial showed Abate, a convicted felon, shooting a man at a restaurant in Columbus. Jurors also heard testimony about numerous shootings, a pistol-whipping, and other acts of intimidation.
This conviction marks the sixth and seventh federal charges against members of the Third World Mob gang since 2021. The gang’s activities have been the subject of a multi-year investigation by law enforcement officials.
