Gwinnett authorities make $1M marijuana bust, Mark Spaziano and John Edney arrested

More than 500 pounds of marijuana is off the streets of Gwinnett County after a major drug bust.

The Gwinnett Metro Task Force says they received information about a suspicious U-Haul truck driving near the intersection of Cedars Road and Highway 316 in Lawrenceville Tuesday afteoon.

With the help of Lawrenceville police, officers made a traffic stop and a police K-9 alerted officers to possible drugs in the vehicle.

John Anthony Edney

Mark Anthony Spaziano

Investigators searched the vehicle and found 427 packages of marijuana, totaling 504 pounds. The total street value of the bust was $1.2 million.

The driver of the vehicle, 46-year-old Mark Anthony Spaziano, along with the passenger, 48-year-old John Anthony Edney, were arrested and charged with trafficking marijuana. They were transported to the Gwinnett County Jail without incident.

500 pounds of marijuana

The Gwinnett Metro Task Force is comprised of deputies from the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office and officers from the Lilbu, Lawrenceville, Duluth and Suwanee Police Departments.  The GMTF was formed in 2012 to investigate drug and vice complaints in Lilbu, Lawrenceville, Duluth and Suwanee.

The Gwinnett Metro Task Force can be contacted via their Drug Tip Line at 770-670-5180 or by email at gmtaskforce@gmail.com.