Wednesday, October 3, 2001
|
Wednesday, October 3, 2001 |
|
Local deputies collaborate with metro agencies for $8 million cocaine bust By JOHN
MUNFORD
With metro Atlanta fast becoming "a major hub" for illegal drug distribution, the Fayette County Sheriff's Department is cooperating with other area agencies to stem the tide of drugs coming here. Last week, the new approach paid off big-time, as local officers helped with raids in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties that got 230 kilos of cocaine, worth about $8 million, off the street. A total of seven illegal Mexican immigrants were arrested in the operation, which involved serving six search warrants at the same time, said Lt. Mike Pruitt of the department's drug suppression task force. Local deputies raided an apartment that contained approximately $1 million in cash, which was seized, Pruitt said. Some of the cocaine seized in the bust was bound to end up in Fayette County, Pruitt said. "We're trying to attack it before it hits the streets," Pruitt said, adding that Sheriff Randall Johnson and Director of Investigations Bruce Jordan totally support the effort. The quantity of cocaine that was seized eclipsed the total amount of cocaine confiscated in Atlanta for all of 1999, Pruitt said. The department was also involved in two separate busts in June in DeKalb and Clayton Counties, which led to the confiscation of cocaine and marijuana worth over $3 million on the street. That DeKalb operation involved cocaine seized as it was being unloaded from a tractor trailer at a rock quarry. Locally, the drug supression unit depends on tips from local residents, said Sgt. Jody Thomas. While some may hesitate to call in a possible small drug transaction, that one deal could be the break in a big case the department needs, Thomas said. Tipsters may remain anonymous and they do not have to testify in court, Pruitt added. But it can be very helpful to stay in touch with a tipster periodically to help monitor the neighborhood, Pruitt added. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration office in Atlanta has been key to the regional approach to fighting drug traffickers, Pruitt said. "A lot of the success is because of the DEA's aggressiveness," Pruitt said. Pruitt said Atlanta has become "a major hub for narcotics" and drugs shipped there are repackaged and sold in Atlanta suburbs including Fayette County. The funds confiscated in the raids will be shared by the department who participated in the raids, including Clayton, Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. The Tyrone Police Department also participates with the sheriff's department on the drug suppression task force. Pruitt said the funds from drug seizures are used to buy equipment for the sheriff's department.
|
||