28 people arrested following drug bust in Georgia

GEORGIA — A coordinated drug task force operation in Bartow County resulted in 28 arrests and the seizure of more than half a million dollars’ worth of methamphetamine, officials said.

The Bartow County Sheriff’s Office announced that officers disrupted a large-scale methamphetamine distribution network during a multi-county investigation.

Bartow County Sheriff Clark Millsap and Drug Task Force agents identified Jonathan Russell Nelson of Acworth as “the primary target” of their investigation.

Nelson is accused of being a “multi-kilogram methamphetamine distributor with confirmed ties to the Vagos Motorcycle Club. At the time of his arrest, Nelson was in possession of over two kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and multiple firearms.”

On July 2, officers and agents from several agencies — including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, Paulding County Sheriff’s Office, Cartersville Police Department, and the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles — executed eight search warrants across Bartow, Cherokee, and Paulding counties.

The operation led to the arrests of 28 individuals.

“The individuals arrested face charges for various violations of the Georgia Controlled Substances Act, including Trafficking Methamphetamine and Conspiracy to Traffic Methamphetamine, as well as felony Obstruction of Officers and multiple firearms offenses,” the sheriff’s office said.

Agents and officers seized the following during the operation:

• Approximately 8 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (estimated street value of $640,000)
• Seventeen fluid ounces of Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB)
• Sixteen firearms
• Five vehicles
• Undisclosed amount of U.S. currency

“These arrests and seizures are the direct result of dedicated collaboration between local, state, and federal partners to keep dangerous drugs and violent criminals out of our communities,” Sheriff Millsap said in a statement. “I commend the hard work of all personnel involved in this operation.”