By: Glenn Harbison / glenn@fanninbasincitizen.com

Cooperation among multiple law enforcement agencies has resulted in six major drug arrests in North Georgia in the past two weeks.

Forrest Shane Lynn, 55, was arrested June 22 in Gilmer County and charged with Trafficking in Methamphetamine and Trafficking in Fentanyl.

According to Investigator Dustin Carder of the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee County, North Carolina, authorities received information Lynn was going to Atlanta to bring back a large amount of narcotics to North Carolina.

Lynn, whose last known address was 648 Voylestown Road, Morganton, had been believed to be hiding out in North Carolina because he was wanted in Fannin County on Probation Violation warrants.

Fannin County coordinated with Gilmer County and Union County authorities for a traffic stop on Lynn’s return from Atlanta. A Gilmer County K-9 deputy located the vehicle and conducted the stop.

After the K-9 alerted on the vehicle, a subsequent search turned up 88 grams of Methamphetamine and 14 grams of fentanyl. 

A female passenger in Lynn’s car, Starla Norman of Murphy, North Carolina, was also arrested and charged with Trafficking in Methamphetamine and Trafficking in Fentanyl.

Both suspects remained held in the Gilmer County Jail without bond Friday, June 26.

Earlier, June 16, a multi-agency operation dismantled a major drug ring in Hall and Jackson counties.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, four people were charged with Conspiracy to Traffic Methamphetamine, accused of being part of a major drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine throughout North Georgia. 

Charged were:

Jennifer Lynn Byers, 56, Commerce, Georgia;

James Edward Daniel, 54, Maysville, Georgia;

Eldon Dwayne Fricks, 60, Mayesville, Georgia; and,

Larry Dwayne Fricks, 35, Gainesville, Georgia.

Approximately 90 pounds of methamphetamine was seized June 16, bringing the total seizure to 122 pounds during the course of the several-month-long investigation, the GBI said.

Among the agencies taking part on the June 16 arrests was the Appalachian Region Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), which includes agents covering Fannin County.

Fannin County Sheriff Dane Kirby said both cases clearly showed the importance of multi-agency cooperation and the ARDEO. “Stopping drugs before they get to Fannin County not only fights the drug problem, it cuts down on other crimes because drugs are so often the cause.”