CMANS Agents Arrest 3 on Drug Charges

Two southwest Cherokee County residents and a Hickory Flat woman have been arrested and charged in connection with the trafficking and sale of heroin.

Agents with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad, or CMANS, on Wednesday arrested Joseph Raymond Koss, 23, and Kevin Dearing, 20, both of Acworth, the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office said in a press release.

Both have been charged with trafficking heroin and remain held without bond at the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center.

Agents originally received information that Koss was an alleged “source of heroin in south Cherokee County,” CMANS Commander Phil Price said.

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Price said more information was obtained that led agents to believe that Koss was also wanted on outstanding felony warrants in Cherokee County.

With the arrest of both Koss and Dearing, agents seized more than eight grans of heroin in a vehicle and smaller amounts of the drug on their person.

The weight of the drugs at the scene was more than twice the weight required for a trafficking charge in Georgia, and the charges will ultimately be based on the official weight determined by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Crime Laboratory, Price noted.

In an related twist, deputies with the sheriff’s office in March 2014 responded to Koss’s home where he was discovered unresponsive and without a pulse. The sheriff’s office said the suspect’s mother and deputies performed CPR until first responders arrived at the home to help Koss survive the overdose.

In a separate investigation, CMANS agents on March 20 arrested Kimberly Reed, 32, of Hickory Flat for allegedly attempting to sell 3.6 grams of heroin. She was charged with four counts of sale of heroin and also remains held without bond at the jail.

Since January, CMANS agents have seized over $8,400 worth of heroin. In contrast, in 2014 agents seized $11,000 for the entire year.

The Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad is a joint task force working in Cherokee County to investigate drug related violations. Participating agencies include the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office, the Canton Police Department, the Woodstock Police Department, the Holly Springs Police Department, the Ball Ground Police Department, the Cherokee County Marshal’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Georgia State Patrol.

Citizens may call in tips anonymously to (770) 345-7920, or may speak to an agent by calling (678) 493-7625.

Photo: from left, Kevin Dearing, Joseph Raymond Koss and Kimberly Reed. Credit: Cherokee Sheriff’s Office