Officials seize more than $2M in drugs in a Columbus gang investigation, sheriff says
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office seized almost $2.3 million in drugs and arrested four people in an operation with other agencies, Sheriff Greg Countryman announced Monday.
The investigation, dubbed “Operation Strictly Business,” also led to four people being charged.
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office Collaborative Intelligence Group, the newly formed Georgia Bureau of Investigation Gang Unit, and other agencies worked together on the 11-month long investigation into a drug trafficking ring involving two gangs: the Bloods and the Gangster Disciples, Countryman said.
This investigation, which closed Nov. 19, came months after the Sheriff’s Office announced law enforcement agencies seized over $270 million worth of drugs in another investigation.
“We made a promise on this stage that we would continue to bring the fight to the drug dealers and the gang members to dismantle criminal enterprises in Muscogee County,” Sheriff Greg Countryman said during a news conference Monday.
Dalvin Ferrell, Dequindre Snellings, Jorge Almonte-Mendoza and Jonathan Provo all face charges ranging from conspiracy, trafficking marijuana, possession of a machine gun, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and other felonies as a result of the operation.
Ferrell and Snellings were both verified as being associated with gangs, Countryman said. Almonte-Mondoza and Provo were “bad actors,” he said, but did not confirm any criminal organization ties. He said they were involved in an ongoing investigation stretching across the country to California.
“Don’t think because Columbus, Georgia, is the second largest city in Georgia that it’s not a major player,” Countryman said. “We want to take away all of the players. We don’t even want them to have a seat at the table.”
Marijuana made up the bulk of the drug seizure, Countryman said, but cocaine, fentanyl, mushrooms and pills were also seized.
People shouldn’t dismiss the results of this operation because most of what was seized was marijuana, he said.
“A lot of people say that marijuana is a recreational drug,” Countryman said. “It is not a recreational drug when this is your livelihood when you’re putting poison back into other individuals’ bodies, when you’re taking talent from the community that ought to be able to work a job.”
Operation Strictly Business was primarily about addressing gang activity and reducing crime, he said. There was a crime reduction after Operation Sweet Silence, Countryman said, and he expects this latest operation will result in crime reduction as well.
“We’re not afraid of these guys,” Countryman said. “And we want them to know that we’re going to bring the fight to them. So, don’t get too comfortable if you think that you’re going to commit a crime in Muscogee County or nearby counties. Not on our watch.”
Results of months-long investigation
Over 10 firearms, one Glock switch and two Draco-style weapons seized
467 pounds of marijuana with a street value of $2.1 million seized
6.7 pounds of mushrooms with a street value of $33,000 seized
318 oxycodone pills with a street value of $905,040 seized
2,336 Xanax pills with a street value of $23,560 seized
220 mushroom bars with a street value of $33,000 seized
31.1 grams of fentanyl with a street value $3,110 seized
2,029 TCH cartridges with a street value of $80,000 seized
12.8 grams of THC oil with a street value of $320 seized
33.2 grams of cocaine with a street value of $3,220 seized
Several unknown pills seized
$106,475 in cash seized
More than 35 felony warrants issued
This story was originally published November 25, 2024 at 2:27 PM.
