CLAYTON - Authorities made four arrests and seized 11.5 ounces of crystal methamphetamine in a four-agency drug trafficking investigation spanning two states.
The arrests and meth seizure came while investigators executed three search warrants in North Carolina Friday, according to Agents of the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office. The agency put the street value of the meth at $32,890.
Rona Burrell Stone, 48, of Franklin, North Carolina, was arrested in Franklin. Denise Andrews, 35, of Newland, North Carolina, was also arrested in Franklin.
Karrie Elisa Varner, 33, of Franklin, was arrested in Clayton, Georgia, and Joseph Anthony Persicketti, 26, of Franklin, was arrested in Clayton.
Karrie Elisa Varner, 33, of Franklin, was arrested in Clayton, Georgia, and Joseph Anthony Persicketti, 26, of Franklin, was arrested in Clayton.
All four suspects were charged with trafficking meth, according to the task force. Agents said the case was the result of what they called an extensive investigation into trafficking in Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
In addition to the task force, the Rabun County Sheriff's Office, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and Macon County, North Carolina Sheriff's Office were involved in the investigation.
The task force attributed the arrests to strong existing relationships between the agencies.
"Agents were able to share intelligence and coordinate the dismantling of a complex methamphetamine trafficking network. The investigation continues," a news release states.
