An undercover investigation targeting reported drug suppliers in northeast Georgia ended earlier this week with the arrests of 15 people from Lula, Gainesville, Alto and other cities and towns in the region.
“Operation Silent Hand,” described by the GBI as a racketeering investigation, involved not only the GBI but also federal and local law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the Hall, Habersham, Banks, Gwinnett, Franklin, Stephens, and White county sheriff’s offices, the Toccoa Police Department, and the Hall and Habersham County district attorneys’ offices.
The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) operation targeted a major drug trafficking organization (DTO) distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, and oxycodone across Hall, Habersham, Franklin, Stephens, White, and Gwinnett counties.
Ken Howard, GBI Special Agent in Charge, said law enforcement officers executed nine search warrants and 16 arrest warrants throughout the region. The investigation revealed that the organization had contacts in metro Atlanta to “facilitate the trafficking of illicit narcotics and pharmaceutical opioids.”
During the investigation, agents seized:
- About 70 pounds of methamphetamine
- Four pounds of fentanyl
- Numerous diverted pharmaceutical opioids
- Several guns
Twenty individuals have been apprehended in connection with this network. All 16 arrested have been charged with Violation of the Georgia Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
The investigation was supported by the Hall and Habersham County District Attorney’s Offices, the FBI, the Toccoa Police Department, and the Hall, Habersham, Banks, Stephens, Gwinnett and Franklin County sheriff’s offices.
All of those arrested were booked into the Hall or Habersham County jails. Howard said the investigation remains active, with additional arrests expected.
Twenty individuals have been apprehended in connection with this network. The
following 16 suspects have been charged: Arthur Lee Poore, 61, Gainesville; William Doug Allen, 54, and Tonya Doster Pitts, 51, both of Lula; Chad O’Neal Davis, 54, and Kandi Nicole Stewart, 48, Demorest; Havan Douglas Allen, 31, and Rodney Wayne Crump, 59, Alto; Bart William Starks, 51, and Randall Stewart Hill, 57, both of Canon; Leslie Nicole Brown Cedillo, 39, Cleveland; Yvonn Parker Brown, 64, and Amy Michelle Willliams, 51, Toccoa; Breann Denae Coalley, 54, and Mona Lisa Summers, 62, Mt. Airy; and Sarita King Davidson, 60, Cornelia.