Operation Sweet Silence puts 31 Columbus gang members in jail

They didn’t know what was happening Thursday, Sept. 12, but concerned citizens
knew something was going on, so they began posting images of law enforcement
vehicles on social media pages.

As it turns out, the FBI, DEA, Muscogee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), the
Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Russell County Sheriff’s Office of Alabama,
Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, US.. Marshal’s Services, and Georgia State Patrol
gathered in Columbus where they arrested 31 people on gang and drug trafficking
charges.

The arrests were part Operation Sweet Silence, an Organized Crime Drug
Enforcement Task Force operation. It was carried out by federal and local law
enforcement from August 2022 through May 2024.

The operation involved MCSO partnering with the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Russell County Sheriff’s Office of Alabama, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, US Marshal’s Services, and Georgia State Patrol.

Thirty-one individuals were arrested in Muscogee County Operation Sweet Silence;
19 defendants charged federally involving validated gang members for drug
trafficking an additional 12 individuals taken into custody on state charges as a
part of this ongoing operation. Additional charges are pending.

“As your Sheriff, I will not stand idly by and allow gangs to do as they please. We are strong, bold, and courageous enough to bring the fight to dismantle them,”
Greg Countryman wrote on the department’s webpage. “We will take back our county and do our best to render it safe for the Citizens we proudly serve.

“Over the years, the Zohannon gang, Crips gang, and other criminal gang
enterprises, have attempted to cripple the quality of life for the citizens of
Muscogee County. As your Sheriff, I am committed to dismantling criminal gang
enterprises of any kind. Our work will not be completed until gang activity in
Muscogee County is no more.”

For the past two years, the MCSO has been investigating the Zohannon gang and
other criminal gang enterprises, and they have worked in partnership with the FBI, DEA, and other critical law enforcement partners, to leverage their resources to
silence gangs in the community.

“Today, we arrested 19 individuals that were closely tied to the Zohannon gang
and the Crips gang, in partnership with the FBI and DEA, along with our other law
enforcement partners, to include the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, Russell County
Sheriff’s Office (Ala.), Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, US Marshal’s Services, Georgia State Patrol, Fort Moore CID, Lee County Sheriff's Office, and the Phenix City Police Department,” Countryman said. “An additional 12 individuals were arrested on state charges as a part of this ongoing investigation.”

Don’t breath a sigh of relief, if you weren’t arrested, Countryman said at Friday’s
press conference, it doesn’t mean we’re not looking at you.

Drugs including fentanyl and methamphetamine were recovered, as well as
firearms, such as a machine gun. Also seized were glock switches, which are used
to make firearms operate as machine guns.

According to MCSO, a total of 101 arrests and 126 search warrants had been made
in the operation as of September 13.

Federal search and arrest warrants were executed in Columbus on Thursday,
September 12, resulting from newly unsealed federal indictments across several
different court cases.

Also recovered in Operation Sweet Silence on September 13:
 155 firearms
 $273,433 U.S. currency
 496 lbs. of methamphetamine
($22,458,880 street value)
 57.21 kilos of cocaine
($5,748,296 street value)
 7.1 kilos of fentanyl
($707,273.60 street value)
 55,248 lbs. of marijuana
($250,162,944 street value)
Includes large amount of illegal marijuana grown in Butte County, Calif.

 1.3 kilos of heroin
($130,859.20 street value)
 5.9 lbs. of GHB
($267,152 street value)
 755.8 grams of mushroom
($15,116 street value)

The following 11 people were arrested on state charges:

Sayvone Truitt (arrested in Muscogee County): possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute

Deaunte Nobles (arrested in Muscogee County): trafficking in heroin, possession of adderall, violation of probation (felony), and possession of marijuana (misdemeanor)

Tommy Mullins Sr. (arrested in Muscogee County): theft by receiving stolen property (motor vehicle) and possession of items altered serial number (felony)

Alex Brooks (Arrested in Clayton County, Ga. by Clayton County Sheriff’s Office): theft by receiving stolen property, fleeing to elude (felony), aggressive driving, reckless driving, obstruction of a law enforcement officer, multiple other traffic offenses, and clayton county sheriff’s office has additional charges

Martrail Epps (arrested in Muscogee County): possession of a firearm by a convicted felon (two counts)

Tyrome Tukes (arrested in Muscogee County): criminal use of a communication facility to facilitate a crime (three counts)

Waymon Wiggins (arrested in Muscogee County): trafficking in marijuana, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon

Deonte Porter (Arrested in Russell County Ala.): use of a communication facility to facilitate a crime

Jesse Harper (arrested in Muscogee County): violation of probation (felony) – two counts

Jarvis Bell (arrested in Muscogee County): violation of probation (felony)

Brittany Vazquez (arrested in Russell County): trafficking in marijuana

Omega Fuller (arrested in Alabama): dangerous drugs (ala.) and manufacturing controlled substance