Drug, gun bust nets 94 suspects

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Drug, gun bust nets 94 suspects

STATESBORO, Ga. — Authorities launched a sweeping gun and drug bust Tuesday after a gutsy undercover operation yielded state and federal indictments against almost 100 people.

About 67 people have been arrested, mostly on firearm and drug offenses, and another 27 are being sought. Statesboro Police Chief Stan York said some of the community’s most dangerous criminals were among those indicted, and that several were members of local street gangs that have long plagued this South Georgia town of 26,000, home to Georgia Southern University.

“Today our community is a lot safer,” he said.

The indictments were the result of a 10-month undercover operation in which authorities say they were able to infiltrate the gun and drug rings that operated in the town. Authorities said initially the work was slow to yield evidence, but agents uncovered enough evidence to yield charges against dozens of suspects as they delved deeper into the network.

“They put the word out on the street, and Statesboro’s worst emerged,” said Gregory Gant, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Many of the suspects were nabbed during a predawn raid Tuesday morning that involved more than 200 law enforcement officials. Authorities said many of those arrested had criminal records for crimes such as assault, robbery, drug trafficking and gun violations. Several were also charged with making false statements to Georgia’s Medicaid program.

Authorities said ATF purchased 96 guns including handguns, assault rifles and sawed-off shotguns during the investigation.

A wide range of drugs were involved, including powdered and crack cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, methamphetamine and prescription drugs. Investigators said they did not have enough information to pinpoint where most of the drugs originated.

“You can’t run these types of operations forever, as there are security concerns,” he said. “But we identified the most prolific criminals and we decided to take action.”

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