A several-month-long investigation into a drug trafficking organization involved in the sale of pressed fentanyl pills led to the arrest of two Gainesville men. Drug agents arrested Joshua Maney and Alex Johnson after a search of a residence at 3155 Lake Ranch Drive in Hall County on May 23.
Deputies with the Hall and Lumpkin County sheriff’s offices, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), and the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force executed the search warrant. During the search, ARDEO says agents seized approximately 102 grams of pressed fentanyl pills, around five pounds of marijuana, two canisters of THC cannabis concentrates, 71 THC vape cartridges, 15 firearms, and over $40,000 in cash.
The approximate street value of the illegal drugs seized in this investigation was $27,000.
The arrests come amid an alarming rise in fentanyl-related deaths across Georgia. ARDEO Special Agent in Charge Trent Hillsman says, “It is important that we continue to take fentanyl off the streets. We are confident that these defendants were supplying several counties in North Georgia.”
Law enforcement charged Maney and Johnson with trafficking a Schedule II controlled substance, possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule I controlled substance with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm during certain crimes. Johnson was also charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
This article has been updated to include SAC Hillsman’s comments
