55 Arrested in Major Drug Trafficking Case Centered in Glynn County and St. Simons Island

GLYNN COUNTY, Ga. – Federal authorities have arrested 55 of 56 people indicted in a wide-ranging drug trafficking case based in Glynn County and St. Simons Island, according to FBI Atlanta.

Special agents with FBI Atlanta, working alongside law enforcement partners across Georgia and several other states, carried out the arrests during a coordinated early morning operation. All defendants are charged with variations of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and some also face firearms-related charges.

More than 150 special agents, deputies, and police officers from multiple agencies participated in the operation. Multiple SWAT teams from FBI Atlanta, FBI Jacksonville, the Glynn County Police Department, and the Brunswick Police Department were used to execute arrests considered high risk.

The investigation, led by agents assigned to the Brunswick Resident Agency, determined that members of the drug trafficking organization traveled to Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and Jacksonville to obtain narcotics. Investigators also identified one indicted suspect who communicated with a supplier in China and arranged for multiple kilograms of drugs to be shipped overseas to Brunswick.

Authorities said the organization was responsible for distributing large quantities of methamphetamine, MDMA, fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, and marijuana throughout the area.

Agencies involved in the investigation included the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Glynn County Police Department, the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office, and the Brunswick Police Department. Additional assistance in making arrests was provided by FBI offices in Dallas, Columbia, and Buffalo, leading to arrests in Texas, South Carolina, and New York.

FBI Atlanta said the final person indicted in the case is expected to turn herself in within the coming days.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. The case will be prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia.