Ronald Evans Jr. has admitted to supplying crack cocaine — on credit, deducted from pay at the end of the week, according to court records — to farmworkers living on his father’s North Florida labor camp (pictured here on the left). The workers harvested for former Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association Chairman (2004) Frank Johns. Read the article from the Jacksonville Times Union here.

The Times Union reports, “When authorities raided the East Palatka camp last summer, they found 148 individually wrapped crack cocaine rocks, about 20 cases of beer and dozens of cartons of cigarettes. After a day’s work, laborers could buy marked-up crack, beer and cigarettes on credit from an on-camp store and Evans Sr.’s trusted employees would keep the books so debt could be deducted at the end of the week, court records show.” Read the article in full here.

Frank Johns, who remains today the Chairman of the FFVA’s Budget and Finance Committee, has not been charged in the ongoing case. He did however defend Ron Evans Sr. and his own company, “Tater Farms,” in an earlier article (July, 2005), declaring, “I’d like to think our operation is a little above average and I think Ron Evans is an above-average leader.” At the time of Johns’ statement, Ron Evans Sr. was awaiting trial on more than 50 charges. Evans Sr. is due to go to trial in federal court this August. Stay tuned for more breaking news from this disturbing investigation.