Nineteen people have been arrested in connection to racketeering involving stolen computers, weapons, and other property in exchange for drugs, sheriff officials said. More are currently being sought by the department.

According to a press release from the Gordon County Sheriff’s Office:

At approximately 4 a.m. Friday, Sheriff’s detectives and deputy sheriffs executed three search warrants and arrested 12 people. The pre-dawn raids were the culmination of a nine month investigation initiated by the Sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit (MCU) into the activities of the defendants involving the distribution of methamphetamine, receiving stolen property, and racketeering. The investigation revolved around a group of Gordon County people whom detectives allege engaged in receiving stolen property, principally laptop computers, and firearms, in exchange for methamphetamine.

Investigating detectives believe that several defendants have ties to Mexican drug cartels, and have reason to believe that some of the stolen property was intended for Mexico.

“These criminal enterprises are not like the traditional mafia in New York City. These people do not wear business suits, or drive Cadillacs. They are, however, very organized and capable of making large sums of money through criminal activity, primarily in drug trafficking and receiving stolen property,” said Sheriff Mitch Ralston.

In addition to the 12 defendants arrested today, seven others were already in custody at the county jail in connection with this case. All of the defendants arrested today were taken into custody without incident, although each search warrant contained a “no knock” provision which allowed the deputies to enter into the property without knocking and announcing their presence. At the three search warrant sites, detectives removed quantities of physical evidence including drugs, firearms, laptop computers, surveillance equipment, and what the detective in charge of the case called, “extensive records.”

This particular case had an unfamiliar twist in that the defendants engaged in counter-law enforcement tactics including surveillance of the Sheriff’s Office in Resaca, acquiring detectives and deputies times schedules, and attempting to learn the identity of informants as well as investigative techniques used by detectives.

No other law enforcement agencies were involved in the investigation, arrests, or searches, although the MCU worked very closely with the District Attorney’s Office throughout the entire case.

During the lengthy investigation, MCU detectives obtained many hours of recorded conversations of defendants and logged many hours spent on surveillance of defendants and residences. Some of the defendants have expressed a willingness to cooperate with the prosecution in this case. “Predicate offense’ in the RICO, or “Racketeer Influenced Corrupt Organization” cases include theft and drug distribution. RICO cases have not typically been undertaken by local authorities in the past.

“For the past 25 or so years, local law enforcement has practiced ‘picking off’ individual drug dealers, individual burglars and thieves, and individual ‘fencers’ of stolen property. This tactic has proved largely unsuccessful, and has mostly resulted in large caseloads for probation and parole officers supervising repeat offenders. The response to crime has been reactive rather than proactive,” said Sheriff Mitch Ralston. “These organizations are like a poison oak vine, taking away a few leaves here and there and there is essentially useless. You must cut away the vine, and that’s what we’re doing in a RICO case, cutting away the vine. The reason I christened this case ‘Operation Strong Safety’ is that the detectives, like a strong safety football player, must be agile, knowledgeable, and react with swiftness. I am proud of what the MCU has accomplished.”

The Sheriff’s Office plans to ask the District Attorney’s Office to seek RICO indictments against all the defendants. The following persons are now in custody awaiting judicial proceedings:

Amanda Walker, 30, 459 Pocket Rd., Sugar Valley: V.G.C.S.A. conspiracy of racketeer influenced corrupt organization (RICO).

Buren Nicholas ‘Nick’ Poole, 22, 190 Town Creek, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. conspiracy theft RICO.

Robert Joseph Davis, 28, 1404 Resaca-Lafayette Hwy., Resaca: V.G.C.S.A. conspiracy RICO.

Justin Robert Hunter, 22, 1388 U.S. Hwy 41, Resaca: V.G.C.S.A. conspiracy RICO.

Derrick D. Beavers, 22, 316 Hunts Gin Rd., Calhoun: theft V.G.C.S.A. conspiracy RICO.

Charles Robert Baker, 43, 204 Town Creek, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Ashley Megan Thomason, 19, 190 Town Creek, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Jennifer Annette Thomason, 49, 190 Town Creek, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Steven Douglas Roebuck, 41, 3030 Hwy. 225, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Robert Gregory Thomason, 51, 190 Town Creek, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Jade Nichole Rowe, 19, 260 Whipporwill Lane, Calhoun: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Jennifer Elaine Davis, 27, 1434 Resaca-Lafayette Hwy., Resaca: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Linda Diane Poole, 50, 1010 Brackett Ridge Rd., Chatsworth: V.G.C.S.A. RICO.

Those being sought in connection with this case are:

Richard Harris, white, male, born in 1977

Osbin Jacinto aka Ramon aka Danilo Orellana, latino, male born in 1973.

Scott Dailey, white, male, born 1970.

David Biggs, white male, born 1979.

Chris Johnson, white male, born 1976

More arrests are expected.