BANKS COUNTY, Ga. — Investigators say a bust of more than 50 pounds of methamphetamine is the largest bust one local county has ever had.
Banks County investigators said they seized $2.6 million worth of meth during a raid, along with nearly 7 pounds of cocaine, worth $392,000, 10 guns and $22,000 in cash.
"I am very proud of our deputies’ tenacious and exhausting investigation. Without their thoroughness and attention to detail, these drugs would have already hit the streets of Banks County and North Georgia," Banks County Sheriff Carlton Speed said in a news release Wednesday. "We are accustomed to large quantities of drugs passing through our jurisdiction by way of the interstate. However, this is a unique case because the Cartel essentially set up shop in Banks County."
Deputies arrested two in the month-long investigation.
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Juan Carlos Melchor-Valencia, 20, has been charged with trafficking cocaine; trafficking methamphetamine and possession of marijuana.
Fernando Garcia Mendez, 23, is charged with trafficking cocaine; trafficking methamphetamine; possession of firearm during commission of a felony; theft by receiving stolen property; obstruction of law enforcement officer; possession of marijuana; and driving without a valid license.
Both men are from Santa Ana, California.
Investigators said they contacted federal ICE agents and Mendez has been detained.
Cox Media Group
