GEORGIA — Fifty-five of 56 people have been captured and indicted in a large drug trafficking case centered in Glynn County and on St. Simons Island, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Authorities said all defendants are charged with variations of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, with some also facing firearms-related charges. The indictments stem from an extensive investigation into a drug trafficking organization operating in the coastal Georgia area.
More than 150 special agents, deputies, and police officers from multiple agencies participated in the early morning arrests, the FBI said. SWAT teams from FBI Atlanta, FBI Jacksonville, the Glynn County Police Department, and the Brunswick Police Department were involved in carrying out arrests considered to be the most dangerous.
“These crimes won’t be tolerated in our community,” said Margaret Heap, U.S. Attorney. “We’re going to go after anyone who continue to harm people in this community.”
Investigators said members of the organization traveled to Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Jacksonville to obtain drugs for distribution. According to the FBI, one indicted suspect communicated with a supplier in China and arranged for multiple kilograms of drugs to be shipped overseas to Brunswick.
Officials said the organization was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, MDMA, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana throughout the area.
The FBI said it expects the final person indicted in the case to turn herself in within the coming days. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
