In August, the Gwinnett Metro Task Force (GMTF) and GBI’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) executed five search warrants in Buford. This initiated the first phase of an investigation into a fentanyl Drug Trafficking Organization (DTO), allegedly led by Adrian Bernard Butler. As a result, 24 people were arrested and charged in Gwinnett County.
The Butler DTO distributed and trafficked fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine throughout Buford, Flowery Branch, and Gainesville within Gwinnett County. The organization also operated in Forsyth, Jackson, Habersham, Lumpkin counties, and throughout northeast Georgia. This investigation led to the seizure of trafficking amounts of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine, as well as pounds of marijuana and multiple firearms.
Law enforcement is actively investigating multiple fentanyl overdose deaths connected to the Butler DTO, and additional charges are imminent. Evidence from this investigation is expected to generate leads on outstanding opioid overdoses and ongoing drug trafficking cases.
Names of the 24 suspects were not immediately released.