Yaqui for Borderland Beat from:
gbigeorgia.gov /
ajc.com
Pickens County, Georgia June 24, 2020:
As a result of a 9-month investigation known as “Operation The Real McCoy,” the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) served 47 arrest warrants for multiple charges including gang and drug related offenses and seized more than $1.7 million worth of methamphetamine following a nine-month drug investigation across the state.
In September 2019, Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) agents began an investigation into a supply chain of methamphetamine into Cherokee County. The initial investigations led CMANS agents to DeKalb and Gwinnett counties and members of the Ghostface Gangsters.
Among those charged were seven Georgia inmates locked up in various prisons across the state, according to Phil Price, commander of Cherokee County’s Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad. Officials also conducted search warrants at six homes, resulting in the seizure of 136 kilograms of meth worth nearly $2 million, he said.
Agents also seized $100,000 in cash. According to the GBI, the investigation into the drug trafficking organization centered on 26-year-old Brannon McCoy, a Georgia inmate. Investigators said McCoy acted as a “broker” from within the State Prison Camp in Sumter County, facilitating the movement of meth from trafficking organizations in Mexico.