A three-month investigation by federal, state, and local law enforcement led to the arrests Thursday of three suspected meth traffickers in North Georgia. They were among four suspects taken into custody during the execution of search warrants and traffic stops across the region.
The investigation, dubbed Operation A Team, involved deputies from sheriff’s offices in Banks, Lumpkin, and Hall counties, the Georgia State Patrol, Homeland Security, ATF, FBI, and the GBI’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office.
“Throughout the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately five pounds of methamphetamine, LSD, and two firearms,” says ARDEO Special Agent in Charge Trent Hillsman.
The primary suspect of the investigation, Trevor Wade Southers, 21, of Lula, was arrested on three counts of trafficking methamphetamine. Others arrested on July 21 include:
- Shelbi Deanna Eanes, 27, of Cornelia, was charged with trafficking methamphetamine and tampering with evidence.
- Derek Malcolm Daniel, 35, of Dahlonega, was charged with two counts of trafficking methamphetamine.
- Thomas Christopher Moore, 39, of Lula, was charged with possession of methamphetamine and possession of LSD.
“This case was a great example of law enforcement agencies working together to slow down the flow of narcotics to our community,” says Hillsman. “This is an ongoing investigation, and more arrests are anticipated.”
Meth still ‘king’
Hillsman says that while law enforcement has seen an alarming rise in fentanyl and heroin use in recent years, “meth is still king” as far as drug use in Georgia. This, despite the fact he says Georgia did a good job of “clamping down” on the products used to make the highly-addictive drug.
“We’re not seeing as many people as we did in the early 2000s making meth or, cooking meth,” Hillsman says. “What we’re seeing most often now is meth in the liquid form being brought in and converted here in the state.”
That liquid meth is transported in a variety of ways, with drug cartels and manufacturers constantly working to stay one step ahead of law enforcement.
“It comes in all forms. We’ve gotten it out of generators. We find it on transfer trucks where one tank will have diesel in it and the other will have meth,” says Hillsman. In the Athens area, they’ve even found meth soaked in cloths.
And while just about everything else has gone up in price due to inflation, Hillsman says the price of meth has gone down. He adds that Operation A Team was prompted by the “continuous battle against illegal narcotics in our area of responsibility” and says ARDEO and its partnering agencies are committed to making it harder for drug manufacturers and dealers to operate in North Georgia.
ARDEO is a multi-agency regional drug task force overseen by the GBI. It’s made up of personnel from the sheriff’s offices in White, Lumpkin, Banks, Jackson, Habersham, Stephens, Rabun, Franklin, Gilmer, and Fannin counties and the police departments in Cleveland and Toccoa. The Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia Department of Community Supervision also participate.
SAC Hillsman encourages anyone with information about illegal drug activity to contact ARDEO through ARDEO@appalachiandtf on Twitter or follow on facebook@appalachianrdeo and/or Instagram.
