50 people in 'criminal organization' targeted for arrest

CLEVELAND - An army of more than 100 law enforcement agents have spent Tuesday executing search warrants and making arrests in an illegal drug operation that was centered in Cleveland.

White County Sheriff Neal Walden said this is an operation that has been underway for almost a year. He noted it's not just a local operation.

"The tentacles on it just go everywhere - we really got into a drug operation," Walden said. "This man we were looking at, it's just unreal how this thing is unfolding and all of the arrests we have made as a result of it."

The drug ring reached from the Atlanta/Fulton County area to North Carolina, officials said.

"Over the past 10 months, they have spent countless hours on this investigation," Walden said. "The Appalachian Drug Task Force, with the cooperation of the White County Sheriff's Office and the district attorney's office, used all available investigative techniques at its disposal to bring down a complex drug trafficking network."

Law enforcement officers fanned out all over the county and other parts of northeast Georgia serving 50 arrest warrants for members, suppliers and customers of Demetrick Deon Tate's drug organization.

"Multiple criminal charges will be brought against these persons under the Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization (RICO) statute," Walden said. "Tate and his organization have been active in White County and surrounding communities for many years. "

Walden said Tate was one of the first they targeted in making the arrests, so he was one of the first of the group to see the inside of White County Detention Center.

Mitchell Posey, commander of the Appalachian Drug Task Force, headed up the day's operation discussed the raid on D.D. Tate's home.

"We did simultaneous search warrants on his house, Clarence's house, and his mother Susan Andrews' house. So all of those people were arrested during the execution of the warrants," Posey said.

Posey said agents seized at least 10 pounds of marijuana, with a street value of $10,000.

Posey said Tate has a host of people who worked in his organization.

"Well there were a lot of people helping him run his organization and there wasn't always necessarily specific people," Posey said. "Sometimes he would pick and choose, but I don't know how he would do that."

Posey classified the group as a "criminal organization," adding the residents of White County will see the benefits of Tuesday's warrant round-up.

Agencies involved included the Appalachian Drug Task Force (ADTF), White County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Georgia State Patrol.

They received assistance from the Enotah Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office, Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office, Towns County Sheriff's Office, Union County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Department of Corrections, Probation Division and Cleveland Police Department.

"The hard work of these law enforcement officers and prosecutors has dismantled this destructive organization," Walden said.

"This particular operation, we've taken the life out of it," Walden said. "Could I guarantee you it won't start back up? No I can't do that, but this particular operation I think we've pretty much shut it down."

Investigators haven't yet released names of suspects subject to the 50 warrants.