Historic haul of drugs by deputies in Hall County
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A historic haul in Hall County nets nearly $2 million in drugs, guns, and cash.
Seven men were arrested at five separate houses around the Gainesville area in neighborhoods with lots of children and families. On Dixie Drive, some neighbors told us they get together on a regular basis. Of recent attention was activity at a house across the street, where the door frame is now off its hinges.
“Cars coming up and staying a little while and then they’d go in the house and then they would come back out,” said Linda Gittens, one of the residents.
Investigators told Fox 5 News the home is part of one of the largest drug and arms hauls in Hall county history.
“The street value of these drugs was over $1.8 million,” said Derreck Booth, spokesman for the Hall County Sheriff’s Office.
He said 34 pounds of meth, just over a pound of black tar heroin, more than two pounds of pot and cocaine each and 200 tablets of generic Viagra were seized. Also confiscated, 14 handguns, five semi-automatic rifles, and a shotgun and $21,000 in cash.
“A lot of talk about that with the pound quantities and they think it’s one of the bigger, if not the biggest as far as quantities seized,” said Booth.
He said seven men, ranging in ages from 24 to 58 were arrested at five separate homes on Friday. The arrests happened on Dixie Drive, Cronic Drive, and other streets around Gainesville, where children play and families live.
“The homes were described by investigators as middle class, just average Hall County homes,” said Booth.
The several months-long investigation involved Hall County’s Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, MANS, Homeland Security, the FBI and GBI, and Gainesville Police and a counterdrug task force from Georgia’s National Guard. For long-time neighbors on Dixie Drive, it adds up to a safer community.
“I’m glad they got it stopped I give them kudos for that,” said resident Dan Berry.
The men face various charges from trafficking to distribution to weapons charges. Investigators said they don’t expect further arrests because they believe they broke this specific drug ring.
