Four arrested as Muscogee County deputies seize $328K in drugs, eight guns

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Illegal drugs and firearms seized by the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office are displayed following a five-day operation that led to four arrests and the recovery of more than $328,000 in narcotics in Columbus, Georgia, on Nov. 6, 2025. (Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office)

COLUMBUS, Ga. - The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office says four people were arrested and more than $328,000 worth of illegal drugs and eight firearms were seized during a five-day crackdown on drug trafficking in the Columbus area.

What they're saying:

Sheriff Greg Countryman said the effort, which involved multiple agencies, targeted large-scale narcotics operations and resulted in the removal of fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, opiates, marijuana, and synthetic drugs from the streets.

"We won’t stop until the criminals do," Countryman said. "Five days of consistency led to removing $328,191.00 in illegal drugs and eight firearms from the hands of those who should not have them."

Countryman said the recent arrests demonstrate the department’s ongoing commitment to dismantling drug networks that threaten the community.

"The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office remains committed to consistently interrupting criminal enterprise and ensuring our community is a safer place to work and live," the sheriff’s office said.

What we know:

The operation began Monday, Nov. 3, when the Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations Unit and the Russell County Sheriff’s Office wrapped up a joint investigation that identified Jonathan Provo as the alleged leader of a local drug trafficking organization.

Two search warrants led to the recovery of trafficking quantities of narcotics and several firearms, including a Glock that had been modified to fire automatically. Investigators seized more than $243,000 worth of illegal drugs, including 24.9 pounds of marijuana, 1,350 Xanax pills, 171 grams of ketamine, and 8 grams of fentanyl. Deputies also confiscated multiple forms of psilocybin products, THC items, and more than $6,700 in cash.

Provo was booked into the Russell County Jail on a long list of felony charges, including trafficking marijuana, fentanyl, opiates, and spice, possession of cocaine with intent, and possession and conversion of a pistol into a machine gun.

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, members of the sheriff’s Collaborative Intelligence Group executed another search warrant, arresting fugitive Johnnie Tyson and seizing 3.5 pounds of marijuana, a rifle, and $12,400 in cash.

Tyson faces multiple felony charges, including possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and distributing marijuana within 1,000 feet of a school.

The following day, Nov. 6, the Special Operations Unit joined forces with the FBI and DEA to execute several search warrants that uncovered trafficking quantities of methamphetamine. Deputies said they recovered 1.5 pounds of meth, 5 grams of crack cocaine, 9.7 grams of marijuana, and nearly $4,000 in cash.

Curtis Williams and Melvin Colbert were arrested and charged with trafficking methamphetamine, possession of cocaine with intent, possession of marijuana with intent, and possession of drug-related objects.

What we don't know:

Investigators have not said whether additional arrests are expected, how the suspects are connected to one another, or where the seized drugs were originally sourced. It was also not clear if any of the recovered firearms were linked to other crimes.