Twenty-two people so far have been arrested on drug-related charges as part of a large scale investigation by the Winder Police Department, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and several other surrounding agencies.
According to a press release from the Winder Police Department, the suspects were arrested following the execution of six drug search warrants on Wednesday. More than 150 officers executed the warrants at six Winder residences simultaneously.
The release states that Winder police and local elected officials had been receiving complaints for two years about numerous people selling drugs on street corners and at a convenience store on Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. Officers would often speak to individuals hanging out in these areas, only for them to leave and then return once the officer had left.
An investigation revealed over time that many of the subjects selling drugs in this area were gang members and frequently armed with weapons. Individuals would also travel from surrounding counties to purchase illegal drugs from this area.
The Winder Police Department requested aid from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Appalachian Drug Enforcement Office in May of this year. The ARDEO and the GBI Gang Task Force provided agents and assistance in the investigation.
During the course of their investigation, undercover officers purchased illegal drugs including opioid based pills, heroin, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, ecstasy, methamphetamine, and marijuana. After an investigation spanning several months, officers gathered enough evidence to take out 136 arrest warrants on 28 people.
According to the release, the majority of the defendants are charged with the sale of illegal narcotics. Other charges include trafficking in cocaine, sale of illegal narcotics within 1,000 feet of housing property, violation of Georgia’s gang statute, possession with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana and violation of probation.
During the execution of the search warrants on Wednesday, officers seized cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, cash, and a firearm possessed by a convicted felon. Three additional suspects who were not on the original list were arrested as well.
The 22 suspects arrested so far are:
- Christopher Scott, 39, of Winder
- Robert Harvey, 55, of Lawrenceville
- Jabrai Johnson, 32, of Athens
- Gerald Moon, 50, of Winder
- Marquarvis Camp, 32, of Winder
- Leonardo Hinton, 40, of Winder
- Jamarcus Watson, 30, of Winder
- Jonathan Smith, 50, of Winder
- Ervin Smith, 82, of Winder
- Tevin Young, 30, of Winder
- Valdis Starks, 35, of Winder
- Parise Isaac, 22, of Winder
- Mikel Mayweather, 18, of Winder
- Wayne Butler, 61, of Winder
- Marquavious Barnes, 31, of Winder
- Barry Winder, 59, of Winder
- Monterio Cooper, 37, of Winder
- Kassy Reese, 30, of Auburn
- Jimmie Mack, Sr., 63, of Winder
- Travis Johnson, 48, of Winder
- Quincy Maxey, 45, of Winder
- Devin Moon, 29, of Winder
Other agencies involved in the investigation include the Barrow County Sheriff's Office, Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Auburn Police Department, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Banks County Sheriff’s Office and the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2021/11/1057146/22-arrested-as-part-of-winder-drug-bust