Over $270M worth of drugs seized in operation that spanned from Columbus to California

The dozens of arrests made in Columbus Thursday were part of an investigation that has resulted in more than $279 million worth of drug seizures and 101 arrests, Sheriff Greg Countryman announced.

The investigation included nearly a dozen state and federal agencies, spanned several states, and resulted in 31 arrests in Columbus and Alabama Thursday.

Of the 31 individuals arrested, 19 were arrested on federal charges and 12 were taken into custody on state charges.

These individuals are alleged members of the “Zohannon gang” and the “Crips gang”, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman said during a Friday press conference.

The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office worked with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies to conduct the investigation over the past two years, Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer.

“We have 31 reasons to rejoice today,” Countryman said. “When I took office as sheriff, I promised the citizens that I would do my part in fighting crime in Muscogee County. With the help of the FBI and DEA, we did just that.”

This operation, called Operation Sweet Silence, spanned areas of Georgia, Alabama and California.

In total, the investigation resulted in 101 arrests and 126 search warrants. Law enforcement also seized 155 firearms and $273,433 in cash.

Drugs seized from the operation included:

• 496 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $22.45 million

• 126.95 pounds of cocaine valued at $5.75 million

• 15.62 pounds of fentanyl valued at about $707,273

• 1.3 kilos of heroin valued at about $130,859

• 5.9 pounds of GHB valued at $267,152

• 755.8 grams of mushrooms valued at $15,116

In California, another 55,248 pounds of marijuana was seized out of an illegal growing area, Countryman said in the press conference. This had an estimated street value of more than $250.1 million.

“That shows you the extent of this case,” Countryman said. “It had a large footprint.”

The FBI conducts these type of operations all over the country, Rich Bilson, supervisory senior resident agent with FBI Atlanta’s Columbus office, told the Ledger-Enquirer. But this is the first time the agency has conducted an operation of this scale in Columbus, he said.

Around 250 personnel were brought in to support seven SWAT teams from this region and Washington D.C., Bilson said. The additional resources from all the agencies working together helped ensure arrests were made safely amid an elevated threat level, he said.

“These individuals, many of them, are very, very dangerous,” Countryman said. “I can’t say that enough.”

The operation ran smoothly Thursday, Bilson and Countryman said. There was one use of force during the day involving a canine, Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer. The person involved received treatment at a local hospital and will appear in court.

“It’s better to have a canine than to have a Glock 9,” Countryman told Ledger-Enquirer.

This will not be the last operation like this in Muscogee County, Countryman said. There are already other investigations stemming from Operation Sweet Silence that could yield results similar to this one, he said.

“Growing up, my parents would always warn me about doing something before I made a mistake,” Countryman said. “So, when we do things like this, this is a warning.”

Countryman hopes to deter other young men in Columbus from becoming involved in this sort of criminal activity. He said he’s disappointed when he looks at the demographics of people in jail and sees the majority are Black Americans.

“We have to do better,” he said. “Our young men, parents and community has to do better to ensure that our youth get the best opportunities that they can. That comes from parenting, and them making the right decisions.”