Fayette County Sheriff’s Drug Task Force agents nabbed 38 pounds of marijuana from a vacant house Nov. 29 that was being used as a delivery drop-off. Three men were arrested and charged with drug trafficking in Fayette and will face similar charges in Fulton.

Lauro Santana, 29, of Hampton, Carlos Sandoval-Lara, 20, of Jonesboro, and Donald Florentino, 22 of Forest Park, were charged with drug trafficking, according to Fayette Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Belinda McCastle. Florentino was also charged with burglary.

Drug agents picked up a suspicious package containing the suspected marijuana from UPS, delivering it to its assigned destination, a vacant house at 514 Westbridge Dr. at approximately 9 a.m., McCastle said. Agents and SWAT teams had previously set up surveillance at the location, said task force Capt. Mike Pruitt. Shortly after placing the package on the front porch, the front door opened and the package was moved inside the house, he said.

A few minutes later, a man later identified as Florentino was seen walking toward the street from an area to the rear of the house. He eventually entered an automobile with Santana and Sandoval-Lara and the three proceeded to drive around the subdivision.

A short time later Florentino was dropped off at the house and went to a wood pile in the back yard, apparently searching for something.

Florentino was unaware that, during the minutes after he had temporarily left the area, drug agents had executed a search warrant and had located the delivery package containing suspected marijuana in a wood pile in the back yard, Pruitt said.

Apparently unable to find what he was searching for, Florentino waved to the driver of the vehicle to come pick him up. Once inside, the vehicle attempted to exit the subdivision but was stopped by drug agents, said Pruitt.

Upon questioning, said Pruit, the men confessed to having been at the location to pick up the marijuana. Florentino also confessed to having broken into the house to secure the marijuana prior to the delivery.

Fayette Sheriff’s Lt. Tray Powell confirmed Monday that the substance had been tested and confirmed as marijuana. Pruitt said the marijuana had been shipped from McAllen, Texas to the vacant house on Westbridge Drive.

Pruitt said there have been several packages recently in Fayette County that were discovered in a similar way.

The Nov. 29 bust was one of a three-part controlled pick up operation in Fayette and South Fulton counties.

Members of the Tri-Cities Narcotics Task Force were waiting in two Fairburn locations with approximately 80 pounds of suspected marijuana, according to Tri-Cities Commander J. Midkiff.

The three men confessed that they were due to make the pick-ups at the two Fairburn addresses, Pruitt said.

From January through November Fayette County Sheriff’s Drug Task Force has been involved in the seizure of 1,540 pounds of cocaine, 842 pounds of marijuana, 91 pounds of methamphetamine and $2,541,419 in cash.

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