A drug investigation that started in Roswell ended in Hall County Thursday where federal agents found a large stash of drugs and weapons.
Chuvalo Truesdell, Special Agent PIO with the Drug Enforcement Administration-Atlanta, told AccessWDUN that the investigation north of Atlanta led to the execution of a search warrant on a piece of farm property on Old Cornelia Highway at White Sulphur Road in the eastern part of the county.
Truesdell said agents arrived on the scene around 11:30 a.m. and found a large cache of weapons.
"There were about 80 total...an assortment of rifles and long guns, other long guns, Uzis...and about 20-something handguns," Truesdell said. He said agents also found a large amount of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) was called in to assist with processing of the weapons,
In addition, agents discovered about 50-pounds of high-grade marijuana along with a quantity of prescription drugs, mainly Xanax. Truesdell placed the value of the marijuana alone at around $35,000.
Truesdell said the investigation is ongoing, so he declined to release specific information on what led DEA agents to Hall County.
"We were working an investigation related to prescription drug abuse - prescription opioids - and one lead led us to another, which ultimately led us to the search warrant, which ultimately led us to this find," Truesdell said.
He said agents were surprised at what they discovered on the 42-acre farm property.
"One building is equipped with a bunker - an in-ground bunker," Truesdell said.
While no arrests were made Thursday, Truesdell said authorities have several suspects on their radar.
In addition to federal authorities, personnel with the Hall County Sheriff's Office and the Roswell Police Department assisted with Thursday's operation.
