COLUMBUS, GA - At a news conference on Friday, September 13th, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman told those in attendance that the streets of Columbus are now safer than they were days before thanks to a multi-agency operation that led to 101 arrests and millions of dollars in drug, gun, and cash seizures.
According to WRBL, the multi-agency effort included the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), Georgia State Patrol, the Phenix City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), among others. The operation conducted on Thursday, September 12th, in Columbus and beyond was dubbed "Operation Sweet Silence," and it started as a MCSO investigation over two years ago.
The target of the operation was criminal street gangs in Columbus, primarily the Zohannons and the Crips. Sheriff Countryman said that stopping and disrupting the gang activity in Columbus is a top priority for many law enforcement agencies in the area. He has issued this warning to gang members, "If you're involved in criminal activity, I want you send this message to you.
Just because your name was not caught in the arrest yesterday, I don't want you to relapse. I don't want you to breathe a breath of fresh air, a sigh of relief, because our work is not done. Just because you were not arrested does not mean that we're not looking at you. So don't get too comfortable because our work is not finished." A total of 155 guns and 496 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $22.4 million were among the items seized in the operation.
The full breakdown of items seized and their street value includes: 155 firearms valued at $273,433; 496 pounds of methamphetamine; 57.21 kilos of cocaine valued at $5,748,296; 7.1 kilos of fentanyl valued at $707,273; 55,248 pounds of marijuana valued at $250,162,944, which included a large amount of illegal marijuana grown in Butte County, CA; 1.3 kilos of heroin valued at $130,589; 5.9 pounds of GHB valued at $267,152; and 755.8 grams of mushroom valued at $15,116.
According to WTVM, 19 of the 101 individuals were charged federally involving alleged drug trafficking, validated gang members, drug distribution activities with ties to a gang in Columbus. An additional 12 were taken into custody on state charges. Sheriff Countryman said, "As your Sheriff, I will not stand idly by and allow gangs to do as they please. We are strong, bold, and courageous enough to bring the fight to dismantle them. We will take back our county and do our best to render it safe for the citizens we proudly serve. Over the years, the Zohannon gang, Crips gang, and other criminal gang enterprises, have attempted to cripple the quality of life for the citizens of Muscogee County. As your Sheriff, I am committed to dismantling criminal gang enterprises of any kind. Our work will not be completed until gang activity in Muscogee County is no more."
The U.S. Justice Department also gave a statement, "This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, and multi-agency approach."
Below are the names of those who were arrested and charged federally: Dequindre Dawson, 32, of Columbus; Jhy'Keith Williams, 23, of Columbus; Tommie Mullins Jr., 30, of Columbus; Anthony Champion, 45, of Columbus; Trenton Clemons, 47, of Columbus; Christopher Hill, 35, of Columbus; Darious Jenkins, 23, of Columbus; Javonta Paden, 24, of Columbus; Adrian Palmer, 24, of Columbus; Adrian Pleasants, 28, of Columbus; Trenton Thomas, 24, of Columbus; Corey Turner, 32, of Columbus; Jantzen Carter, 39, of Waverly Hall, Georgia; Fernando Brown, 31, of Columbus; Undrea Hayes, 36, of Columbus; Jeffrey Kimbrough, 28, of Columbus; Hykeem Lomax, 32, of Columbus; Davontay Richardson, 27, of Columbus; and Malik Williams, 26, of Columbus.
Below are the names of those who were arrested and charged by the state: Sayvone Truitt, Deaunte Nobles, Tommy Mullins Sr., Alex Brooks, Martrail Epps, Tyrome Tukes, Waymon Wiggins, Deonte Porter, Jesse Harper, Jarvis Bell, and Omega Fuller.
According to WRBL, the multi-agency effort included the Muscogee County Sheriff's Office (MCSO), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO), Georgia State Patrol, the Phenix City Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), among others. The operation conducted on Thursday, September 12th, in Columbus and beyond was dubbed "Operation Sweet Silence," and it started as a MCSO investigation over two years ago.
The target of the operation was criminal street gangs in Columbus, primarily the Zohannons and the Crips. Sheriff Countryman said that stopping and disrupting the gang activity in Columbus is a top priority for many law enforcement agencies in the area. He has issued this warning to gang members, "If you're involved in criminal activity, I want you send this message to you.
Just because your name was not caught in the arrest yesterday, I don't want you to relapse. I don't want you to breathe a breath of fresh air, a sigh of relief, because our work is not done. Just because you were not arrested does not mean that we're not looking at you. So don't get too comfortable because our work is not finished." A total of 155 guns and 496 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $22.4 million were among the items seized in the operation.
The full breakdown of items seized and their street value includes: 155 firearms valued at $273,433; 496 pounds of methamphetamine; 57.21 kilos of cocaine valued at $5,748,296; 7.1 kilos of fentanyl valued at $707,273; 55,248 pounds of marijuana valued at $250,162,944, which included a large amount of illegal marijuana grown in Butte County, CA; 1.3 kilos of heroin valued at $130,589; 5.9 pounds of GHB valued at $267,152; and 755.8 grams of mushroom valued at $15,116.
According to WTVM, 19 of the 101 individuals were charged federally involving alleged drug trafficking, validated gang members, drug distribution activities with ties to a gang in Columbus. An additional 12 were taken into custody on state charges. Sheriff Countryman said, "As your Sheriff, I will not stand idly by and allow gangs to do as they please. We are strong, bold, and courageous enough to bring the fight to dismantle them. We will take back our county and do our best to render it safe for the citizens we proudly serve. Over the years, the Zohannon gang, Crips gang, and other criminal gang enterprises, have attempted to cripple the quality of life for the citizens of Muscogee County. As your Sheriff, I am committed to dismantling criminal gang enterprises of any kind. Our work will not be completed until gang activity in Muscogee County is no more."
The U.S. Justice Department also gave a statement, "This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, and multi-agency approach."
Below are the names of those who were arrested and charged federally: Dequindre Dawson, 32, of Columbus; Jhy'Keith Williams, 23, of Columbus; Tommie Mullins Jr., 30, of Columbus; Anthony Champion, 45, of Columbus; Trenton Clemons, 47, of Columbus; Christopher Hill, 35, of Columbus; Darious Jenkins, 23, of Columbus; Javonta Paden, 24, of Columbus; Adrian Palmer, 24, of Columbus; Adrian Pleasants, 28, of Columbus; Trenton Thomas, 24, of Columbus; Corey Turner, 32, of Columbus; Jantzen Carter, 39, of Waverly Hall, Georgia; Fernando Brown, 31, of Columbus; Undrea Hayes, 36, of Columbus; Jeffrey Kimbrough, 28, of Columbus; Hykeem Lomax, 32, of Columbus; Davontay Richardson, 27, of Columbus; and Malik Williams, 26, of Columbus.
Below are the names of those who were arrested and charged by the state: Sayvone Truitt, Deaunte Nobles, Tommy Mullins Sr., Alex Brooks, Martrail Epps, Tyrome Tukes, Waymon Wiggins, Deonte Porter, Jesse Harper, Jarvis Bell, and Omega Fuller.
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