Peewee Longway Allegedly has been arrested with 30 others in a drug bust seizing over $200 million in drugs
- Cap House Media
- Sep 13, 2024
- 2 min read
The dozens of arrests made in Columbus Thursday were part of an investigation that has resulted in more than $279 million worth of drug seizures and 101 arrests, Sheriff Greg Countryman announced.
The investigation included nearly a dozen state and federal agencies, spanned several states, and resulted in 31 arrests in Columbus and Alabama Thursday.
Of the 31 individuals arrested, 19 were arrested on federal charges and 12 were taken into custody on state charges.
These individuals are alleged members of the “Zohannon gang” and the “Crips gang”, Muscogee County Sheriff Greg Countryman said during a Friday press conference.
The Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office worked with the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies to conduct the investigation over the past two years, Countryman told the Ledger-Enquirer.
“We have 31 reasons to rejoice today,” Countryman said. “When I took office as sheriff, I promised the citizens that I would do my part in fighting crime in Muscogee County. With the help of the FBI and DEA, we did just that.”
This operation, called Operation Sweet Silence, spanned areas of Georgia, Alabama and California.
In total, the investigation resulted in 101 arrests and 126 search warrants. Law enforcement also seized 155 firearms and $273,433 in cash.
Drugs seized from the operation included:
496 pounds of methamphetamine valued at $22.45 million
126.95 pounds of cocaine valued at $5.75 million
15.62 pounds of fentanyl valued at about $707,273
1.3 kilos of heroin valued at about $130,859
5.9 pounds of GHB valued at $267,152 755.8 grams of mushrooms valued at $15,116
“That shows you the extent of this case,” Countryman said. “It had a large footprint.”
The FBI conducts these type of operations all over the country, Rich Bilson, supervisory senior resident agent with FBI Atlanta’s Columbus office, told the Ledger-Enquirer. But this is the first time the agency has conducted an operation of this scale in Columbus, he said.
Around 250 personnel were brought in to support seven SWAT teams from this region and Washington D.C., Bilson said. The additional resources from all the agencies working together helped ensure arrests were made safely amid an elevated threat level, he said.
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