Sunday, February 22, 2004

Sheriff’s Department wins accolades for 2003 case

By JOHN THOMPSON
jthompson@TheCitizenNews.com

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Department won national accolades earlier this month for its efforts in a 2003 drug seizure case.

The award was bestowed at a conference in Hilton Head, S.C., by a group of national drug fighters for the department’s efforts in stopping organized crime in Operation Enigma, said Lt. Col. Bruce Jordan. The case was case of the year in the region.

The operation was part of a national operation involving several departments, including the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service and the Sheriff’s Department.

Jordan said the investigation dismantled a large, violent organization that was transporting illegal drugs north from Texas to Atlanta and the eastern seaboard.

Jordan said 32 phones were tapped in the Atlanta region and there was also heavy surveillance on the suspects.

When the take-down occurred last August, agents seized $2.5 million, large quantities of cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana and 13 firearms.

Jordan said 24 arrests were made, including a suspect nicknamed “27,” because of the number of people he had murdered for the drug organization.

Jordan said 32 total suspects are charged with a variety of charges, including money laundering, drug charges and firearms offenses.

 



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