The people who believe that defunding the police is a viable solution to societal ills should read the indictment that federal authorities recently brought against 76 people for alleged drug-related activities.
Last week, the feds announced charges against 76 people for their involvement in a massive drug trafficking and street gang enterprise based in Glynn County and state prisons. The enterprise is accused of distributing methamphetamine, fentanyl, heroin and alprazolam (best known under the brand name Xanax) across South Georgia and Northeast Florida.
Operation Ghost Busted, as it was called by federal authorities, targeted the Ghost Face Gangsters, a White supremacist criminal street gang, along with other known gangs such as the Aryan Brotherhood, the Bloods and the Gangster Disciples.
The indictment that resulted from two years of investigative work is believed to be the largest in the history of the Southern District of Georgia with 118 total charges. The operation also led to the forfeiture of 43 seized firearms.
Among the various alleged infractions are some related to the deaths of three people — Michael Logue, Rebecca Cain and Dylan Jones — as a result of the drugs that were sold to them. David Estes, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said their deaths are a reminder that the “illegal distribution of drugs is not a victimless crime.”
This massive operation was the result of several law enforcement agencies working together at the federal, state and local level. The FBI Coastal Georgia Violent Gang Task Force, Glynn County Police Department, Brunswick Police Department and the Camden County Sheriff’s Office led the investigation with help from other federal, state and local agencies.
The sprawling reach of the alleged drug conspiracy is massive. Estes said the network operated in Glynn, Pierce, Camden, Wayne, Treutlen, McIntosh, Toombs, Telfair, Dodge and Ware counties.
Some misguided people believe that too many taxpayer dollars go to police and public safety. What often gets overlooked in the argument is that a big operation like this one takes resources such as manpower, logistic support and time. All of that takes an ample investment in law enforcement at all three levels of government.
We are grateful for the work done by our local law enforcement departments, as well as the work of our state and federal agencies. A bust like this might save countless lives that would have been affected by the alleged illegal activities of this conspiracy.
South Georgia is a safer place today thanks to all of their hard work.
