DUI stop led agents to enough fentanyl that could have killed thousands, officials say

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — A traffic stop in Forsyth County led to a massive seizure of drugs and guns, sparking an investigation that spans the metro area and North Georgia.

A total of more than 800 grams of the deadly drug Fentanyl and 70 pounds of methamphetamine were taken off the streets.

A deputy on Georgia 400 spotted a driver swerving around 1 a.m. on the Fourth of July.

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He pulled the car over and arrested the driver, 28-year-old Brian Vasquez, of Roswell, for DUI.

Deputies then found drugs and two guns-- one stolen-- in the car. But they weren’t ready for what they discovered in the trunk.

Forsyth County Ron Freeman says his deputies, working with partners from Johns Creek police on their joint drug task force, seized two boxes containing more than 70 pounds of meth.

Investigators and agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration then tracked the source to Gilmer County and raided a trailer where they discovered a lab.

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“It’s being converted in Gilmer County into crystal or powder form. That’s what we discovered,” Freeman said. “It’s headed right down Georgia 400 in downtown Atlanta to a Buckhead apartment being used as a stash house.”

The investigation by federal and local partners first found 40 grams of fentanyl at a storage unit in Alpharetta.

They then found 776 grams of the deadly drug at the Buckhead apartment.

“776 grams is about a pound and a half of fentanyl. That’s enough to kill everyone in Forsyth County,” Freeman said.

According to the D.E.A., that’s enough fentanyl to kill more than 400,000 people--nearly the entire population inside the city of Atlanta.

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A total of four people, two men and two women, have been arrested.

Freeman thanks the cooperation and partnership with other agencies for following through and says the investigation is not over.

“Taking that much fentanyl off the street saved lives. Literally, there are people alive today who would not be alive today had that fentanyl not been seized,” Freeman said.

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