A Friday morning traffic stop in Lumpkin County ultimately led to several arrests and the discovery of a methamphetamine conversion lab that authorities said could have produced millions of dollars worth of crystal meth.
Mitchell Posey with the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office says 42-year-old Angel Luis Rivera-Santiago of Norcross and 30-year-old Victor Rafael Aponte of Dahlonega were found with several kilograms of meth during the traffic stop during the early morning hours.
Posey said an investigation led them to a home on Flanders Road in Dahlonega, where they found several grams of cocaine and over a hundred thousand dollars in cash. They say 25-year-old Valentine Duarte-Vejar of Dahlonega fled the residence, but was caught and arrested.
The investigation continued and Posey said they eventually searched a home on Cooper Creek Road in Suches where they found the conversion lab, which he said is used to convert liquid methamphetamine to crystal form, as well as a handgun and several grams of crystal meth. Posey said authorities believe the lab was capable of producing at least 25 to 50 kilograms of crystal meth, which could be valued at at least $3.2 million.
"This was a surprise find for us," Posey said. "It was something that fell in our lap and we realized that it could turn into something bigger, all it required was just some good old-fashioned hard work."
29-year-old Eleoncio Perez-Pineda and 25-year-old Jose Mario Duarte-Vejar, both of Dahlonega, were later arrested in connection with the case and charged with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. Rivero-Santiago, Aponte and Valentine Duarte-Vejar each face charges of trafficking methamphetamine. More charges in the case could be pending.
"Shutting something down of this magnitude is huge for North Georgia," Posey said.
The ARDEO said in a release that the immigration status of all five men is pending and they have all been taken to the Lumpkin County Detention Center. The operation was a joint effort of the ARDEO, the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office and the FBI's North Georgia Major Offender Squad.
