CHATHAM COUNTY, Ga. - Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Monday that state prosecutors indicted six people in Chatham County following a multistate drug trafficking investigation that netted 20 pounds of Carfentanil.
What we know:
Investigators said the synthetic opioid is 10,000 times stronger than morphine and 100 times more potent than fentanyl.
A Chatham County grand jury indicted six people Sept. 2 after state and federal agencies uncovered a drug pipeline running from Phoenix, Arizona, to Savannah, according to the Georgia Attorney General's Office.
Law enforcement officers seized 20 pounds of Carfentanil that traffickers intended to distribute in Chatham County, across Georgia, and inside state prisons, officials said.
Prosecutors said the group also brought marijuana into Chatham County from California and laundered money between Savannah and Phoenix.
Several defendants belong to the Waters Ave Crew, an East Savannah gang tied to the Piru Bloods, according to the indictment.
Officers identified the defendants as Savannah residents Edkes Hakeem Mitchell, 34; Rondell Javon Owens, 33; Matthew Rigsby, 39; Rahemm Jawaun Jenkins, 34; Devonta Rakeem Winn, 34; and Tashiylah Nikeairia Riley, 30.
The group used multiple safe houses in Savannah to store and sell illegal drugs, according to investigators.
What we don't know:
Officials have not stated if additional arrests are expected in Arizona or California.
Authorities have not released trial dates or bond details for the six defendants.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, who detailed the grand jury indictments in an official release, as well as Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team Director Michael Sarhatt.