Police arrest 18 in three-county drug operation

Apr 24, 2017 - 17:37 Updated: Apr 24, 2017 - 20:11

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Police arrest 18 in three-county drug operation

18 arrested in huge drug trafficking case in Douglas County

ATLANTA - Douglas County police say 18 people have been arrested and are facing a variety of charges including possession, racketeering, trafficking and conspiracy.

Authorities said the investigation started with a single tip, called into the Douglas County Sheriff's Department in February 2017. A search warrant was executed and deputies discovered the large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization.

Douglas County Sgt. Jesse Hambrick said the meth trafficking ring stretched across Douglas, Fulton and Cobb Counties.

"This is a nasty drug," he said. It's one that's been plaguing outlying Metro Atlanta counties for decades.

It started with what law enforcement nicknamed "bathtub crank", methamphetamine inhaled through the nose. Around 2001, there was a swap to "ice", a smokable form of the drug.

Three pounds of it was seized, along with $20,000, seven vehicles, and a scattering of other illegal drugs.

The multi-jurisdictional bust started with a single tip, called into the Douglas County Sheriff's Department in February 2017. Six search warrants were issued at homes in Cobb, Fulton, and Douglas counties.

Eighteen people were taken into custody. "This is one that we would consider a substantial conspiracy case," Sgt. Hambrick said.

He said those 18 people are believed to be responsible for distributing 50 pounds of meth across west Georgia over two months.

Those caught in the bust include 18 people facing a variety of charges including possession, racketeering, trafficking and conspiracy: