FBI, GBI lead raid on major drug network in Adel
ADEL, Ga. – According to our partners with the Tifton Grapevine Newsletter…
A pre-dawn raid by the FBI, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and local authorities surrounded homes in Adel and across Cook County on Thursday arresting 18 people – including one from Tifton – in a case targeting “a large drug-trafficking” ring, the FBI said.
Photo: FBI
A total of 21 defendants are named in a newly unsealed federal indictment; three of the defendants remained at large late Thursday.
All of the suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The indictment includes additional charges for each defendant, including two charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, authorities said.
The FBI said the major drug-trafficking network originated in Adel.
Among those arrested was Calvin Smith Jr., 34, of Tifton. Most of those arrested reside in Adel.
Besides Smith of Tifton, arrested were:
- Mitchell Brown, 37, Adel
- Rosa Lee Simmons, 43, Adel
- Christopher Martin, 53, Adel
- Larkem Hayes, 35, Adel
- Tyrone McCormick, 51, Adel
- Willie Keeley, 50, Adel
- Bobby Kaiser, 52, Adel
- Willie Brown, 41, Adel
- Carla McNorton, 54, Adel
- Justin Thompson, 36, Adel
- Calvin Smith, 55, Adel
- Yardley Payne, 55, Adel
- Lyric Linder, 27, Adel
- Harold Gray, 53, Adel
- Vernando Henley, 42, Valdosta
- Joe Smith, 54, Axson
- Amjed Hajjaj, 41, Dinuba, Calif.
The defendants still at large Thursday were:
- Maria Graham, 43, Adel
- Eddie Harley, 34, Riverview, Fla.
- Charles Dunwoody, 44, Hollywood, Calif.
The Southwest Georgia Gang Task Force is handling the case.
Agencies involved in the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Hahira Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Adel Police Department, U.S. Marshal Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Middle District of Georgia.
By: Frank Sayles Jr., Tifton Grapevine
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