22 Defendants in Custody Following Meth Distribution Ring Bust
In connection with the investigation into methamphetamine in Middle Georgia and the Atlanta Metro area, the Justice Department has unsealed a 17-count indictment against 22 defendants. Among the charges are conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of meth, possessing meth with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm to run a drug trafficking business, all of which carry the punishment of life in prison if convicted.
The defendants’ initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles H. Weigle were held on February 9, 2022. Federal prosecutors will try the case under the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the cornerstone of the Justice Department's effort to reduce violent crime.
Various local and state authorities, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), the Ocmulgee Drug Task Force, and the Baldwin County Sherriff’s Office, aided the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in the investigation.
Multiple controlled purchases of meth were made by undercover operatives between July 2020 and November 2020 from Jarvis Havior, who faces the most serious charges brought by the Justice Department.
“There was never a time when we went to these individuals to buy methamphetamine that they didn’t have [it]–we were able to make ounce purchases,” Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee noted, “[T]hat amazed me.”
DEA agents in Atlanta seized 68 kilos of methamphetamine, a kilo of heroin, marijuana, weapons, and an undisclosed amount of cash during the investigation. Sheriff Massee said authorities also received a great deal of information on gang membership and activities in Middle Georgia and Atlanta.