STAFF REPORT :::
The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations/Narcotics Division was an assisting agency involved in an investigation of the Drug Enforcement Agency Atlanta Carolinas High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program that resulted in the seizure of a large quantity of illegal narcotics and numerous arrests.
According to a press release issued by Sheriff Darrell Dix, his agency, as well as the Henry County Flint Circuit Drug Task Force, assisted the HIDTA program in an ongoing investigation that began July 2017.
Authorities say the focus of this operation was an alleged drug trafficking organization in the metro Atlanta area official say was responsible for supplying methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin to street level distributors in Spalding and Henry counties.
This operation resulted in the seizure of approximately four kilograms of methamphetamine, approximately 19 kilograms of cocaine, approximately seven kilograms of heroin, 11 firearms, three vehicles and approximately $389,000 in alleged drug proceeds.
Arrested and facing state charges are:
Serafin Villalobos, age 42, a Mexican citizen residing in Riverdale, who has been charged with trafficking cocaine;
Joseph Mackenzie Ferrell, age 33, of Locust Grove, who has been charged with trafficking methamphetamine and weapons violations;
Brooke Sharee Pittman, age 25, of Locust Grove, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine;
Diana Rothackcer, age 41, of McDonough, who has been charged with trafficking methamphetamine;
Rene Francisco Mirano-Malina, age 36, of McDonough, who has been charged with trafficking methamphetamine;
Patricia McKool Nichols, age 56, of McDonough, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine; and
Jennifer Laurel Betsill, age 33, of Locust Grove, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Arrested and facing federal charges are:
Douglas Villegas, age 45, also known as “Loko,” of Autry State Prison, where, having been convicted of murder, he was serving a life sentence, has been charged with numerous counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin.
Norma Boyd, age 53, also known as “Jan Boyd,” of Griffin, who has been charged with numerous counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin;
Armando Landa-Hernandez, age 32, a citizen of Mexico residing in Lawrenceville, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute and federal weapons charges;
Miguel Carachure-Guzman, age 29, a citizen of Mexico residing in Lawrenceville, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and heroin with intent to distribute and federal weapons charges;
Rodney Lee Marsh, age 36, of Atlanta, who has been charged with possession of methamphetamine and federal weapons charges;
Laura Rosemary Adams, age 38, of Stockbridge, who has been charged with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and heroin and federal weapons charges; and
Rene Lujan Saucedo, age 45, a citizen of Mexico residing in Atlanta, who has been charged with numerous counts of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and federal weapons charges.
Officials say Villegas ran a drug trafficking organization of Autry State Prison.
Villegas is now in federal custody.
Investigators identified Boyd as Villegas’ main distributor.
“The Spalding County Sheriff’s Office continues to work with other law enforcement agencies on the local, state and federal levels to make the lives of drug distributors and those providing illegal narcotics to Spalding County as miserable as possible,” Dix said. “We will continue to do all we can to make Spalding County a safer place.”