STAFF REPORT :::
A month-long investigation into heroin distribution in Griffin-Spalding County resulted in the arrest of William Patrick Flanagan, who authorities say was involved in a multi-jurisdictional narcotics ring.
According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, Flannagan, age 48, was arrested March 14.
“In the past few months Flanagan’s name, along with others, started popping up as we looked in to a rise in the use of heroin. We have had calls from family members and parents of those who have loved ones that have started using it as their drug of choice and they are devastated at the results of the abuse,” Dix said. “As the investigation played out we found out that there were local distributors of heroin, one of which was Flanagan, that were being supplied by a source in Dekalb County. We contacted the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and they took the lead in the out-of-county portion of the investigation that eventually led them to distributors in Villa Rica and Dekalb County.”
The investigation also resulted in arrests and the recovery of allegedly stolen property in Dekalb County.
“On Friday March 16, 2018, the GBI, along with Dekalb County SWAT and agents from the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, executed a search warrant at a residence in Dekalb County. During their search they located stolen firearms, a stolen motorcycle, from Spalding County, other stolen property, trafficking amounts of heroin and methamphetamine, and made several arrests. Those arrests will be announced via a press release forthcoming from the GBI,” Dix said. “It’s also ironic that the arrest of Ryan Archer on March 15, 2018 for aggravated assault on Spalding County Deputy Marc McIntyre whom he dragged across a parking lot with a vehicle, led to the recovery of a firearm that was linked back to the house in Dekalb County.”
Dix cited the cooperative nature of the investigation as crucial in the outcome of the monthlong investigation.
“The cooperation between the Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI, Georgia State Patrol, and Dekalb County played a huge role in the success of this investigation. We believe that the arrest of the source in Dekalb County that spun off from our initial investigation will put a big dent in the local distribution of both heroin and methamphetamine,” he said. “It links how thefts fuel the drug trade and clears up some local thefts as well as thefts from other jurisdictions. It further shows our determination to make Spalding County a safer place no matter where we have to go to do it.”
Flanagan has been charged with possession of heroin, possession of heroin with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule Four controlled substance and possession of drug related objects.