Three Atlanta Gang Associates Convicted in Operation Heatwave Drug Case

ATLANTA – Three Atlanta men identified by prosecutors as associates of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips have pleaded guilty to gang, drug and firearms charges stemming from a 2023 investigation that recovered eight guns and large quantities of oxycodone, amphetamines and marijuana.

Chiquille Bell, 32, Marcus Thornton, 37, and Contrellis Brooks, 36, were prosecuted in Fulton County following Operation Heatwave, a multi-agency initiative led by the Atlanta Police Department.

The case resulted in the seizure of eight firearms, 326 grams of oxycodone, 122 grams of amphetamines, 53.5 pounds of marijuana, more than three pounds of psilocybin mushrooms and more than 12 grams of Xanax, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.

Prosecutors identified all three defendants as associates of the Rollin 60s Neighborhood Crips, a Los Angeles-based street gang with a presence in Atlanta. Authorities identified Bell as the leader of the drug distribution operation.

The three were originally indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in August 2023 as part of a 52-count indictment arising from that year’s Operation Heatwave.

Bell pleaded guilty Sept. 15 to one count of violating Georgia’s Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act and one count of possession of amphetamine with intent to distribute.

A Fulton County Superior Court judge sentenced Bell to 25 years, with eight years to be served in prison and the remaining 17 years on strict probation.

Thornton pleaded guilty March 27 to three counts of violating the Street Gang Terrorism and Prevention Act, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, trafficking oxycodone and possession of amphetamine with intent to distribute.

He was sentenced to 15 years of strict probation.

Brooks pleaded guilty Oct. 2, 2024, to three gang charges, five counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and several drug offenses.

Those drug charges included trafficking oxycodone and possession with intent to distribute amphetamine, marijuana, psilocybin mushrooms and alprazolam, commonly sold under the brand name Xanax. He also pleaded guilty to possession of drug-related objects.

Brooks received a 35-year sentence, with seven years to be served in prison and the remaining 28 years on strict probation.

The convictions stem from the 2023 edition of Operation Heatwave, a 16-week summer enforcement initiative involving local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.

That year’s operation included seven multi-agency enforcement efforts and resulted in 96 arrests, including 41 people identified by authorities as suspected gang members. Officers also recovered 62 firearms. Those totals include the defendants and firearms involved in the Bell, Thornton and Brooks case.

The Atlanta Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Georgia Attorney General’s Gang Prosecution Unit. Assistant Attorneys General Lee M. Stoy Jr. and Brooklyn Franklin prosecuted the case.