Friday, August 29, 2003
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Friday, August 29, 2003 |
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Fayette drug agents participate in federal sting to take out Mexican smugglers in Atlanta By JOHN
MUNFORD
The Fayette County Sheriff's Department's Drug Task Force was lauded Thursday for its participation in a federal drug sting that targeted a Mexican organization distributing drugs in the metro Atlanta area. Last week, Fayette drug agents helped arrest 24 suspects and seize $3.1 million in cash as over 200 law enforcement officers executed search warrants on 19 locations in metro Atlanta last week, said U.S. Attorney William S. Duffey Jr. Authorities confiscated 254 kilograms of cocaine, 500 pounds of marijuana, two pounds of methamphetamine and a half-pound of "ice," which is liquid methamphetamine. The Fayette drug agents played a crucial role in the sting, particularly with surveillance operations, said W. Michael Furgason, Sr., special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration. "They're a great narcotics team and they bring a lot of experience we rely on," Furgason said. "It's just that they're good cops." Fayette County Sheriff Randall Johnson said the bust was one of the biggest the department has ever participated in. "It's the opportunity of a lifetime to be in on a drug bust this size," Johnson said. The 24 suspects have all been charged in federal court with conspiring to distribute and sell drugs in the area, Duffey said. Most of those arrested were immigrants living illegally in the country, Furgason added. The bust was announced at a news conference in Atlanta Thursday morning. Although none of the drug activity took place in Fayette County, Sheriff Johnson said it is important to help cut drug trafficking in the area before they are distributed here. "We want them (criminals) to know they'd better not come in here with it," Johnson said. "They know where the county line is now." The Fayette County Drug Task Force is comprised of agents from the Fayette County Sheriff's Department, the Tyrone Police Department and the Pike County Sheriff's Department. Duffey said the Armando Valencia organization would import the drugs from Mexico and stash them in large vehicles such as tractor trailers for transport into cities like Atlanta. As the 18-month investigation continued, it became more apparent that the Valencia organization was very dangerous, Duffey said. When the search warrants were served by officers early one morning, one suspect was found sleeping next to a gun, Duffey said. Anyone who sleeps with a weapon within arm's reach "is prepared to use it when it has to be used," Duffey noted. "These are professional dealers," Furgason said. Although no connections could be made to the Valencia organization, federal drug agents have learned that many unsolved homicides are tied to drug trafficking in general. Authorities decided to target the Valencia organization because "it was the one we knew the least about," Duffey said. The investigation revealed the gang was very sophisticated in its operations, particularly in the amount of time they spent trying to learn about law enforcement techniques. Members of the Valencia organization would spend as much time doing that counterintelligence as they would actually selling the drugs, Duffey noted. The goal of the operation was to "dismantle" the Valencia organization, Duffey said. The head of the organization, Armando Valencia himself, was arrested in Mexico with cooperation from authorities there, Duffey said. The drugs would travel from Reynosa, Mexico to McAllen, Tex., to Atlanta and beyond to Knoxville, Tenn., Furgason said. Officers found drugs in four metro Atlanta locations, at residences in Lilburn, Smyrna, Norcross and Roswell, authorities said. Although Duffey refused to go into details about what agents learned about the Valencia organization or how the investigation was conducted, he said agents used just about every investigative tactic in the book. Duffey also said the organization was very sophisticated, but he declined to go into details of what the agents learned so they can use the information in future investigations. The suspects "weren't on the corner just selling drugs," Duffey said.
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