New Details Released In Massive Cartersville Drug Arrests

CARTERSVILLE, GA -- The Cartersville Police Department and Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force are releasing new details about the massive New Year's Eve drug arrests following a report of shots fired call in the city. Officers were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. Dec. 31 to a call in the area of 2 Cain Drive.

Those officers arrived and "detected the odor of marijuana, and observed subjects fleeing the premises," the Drug Task Force said Tuesday. Cartersville patrol officers secured the area while they looked into the report of shots being fired.

While conducting their investigation, officers noticed "marijuana in plain view and initially recovered a semi-automatic handgun."

Cartersville police notified the Drug Task Force to help with the investigation due to the large number of people inside the home, the discovery of the firearm and the "evidence of widespread drug usage," the Task Force added.

More than 60 people were inside the home, including four minors. Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force agents obtained a search warrant for the home and two firearms (one reported stolen from Detroit), individually packaged marijuana and several smoking devices were seized throughout most of the first-floor rooms.

Officers also recovered suspected cocaine and cocaine-related paraphernalia following initial contact with several subjects on the scene. Everyone at the house was arrested for possession of the marijuana, "which was in everyone's reach or control," the Drug Task Force states. They were all transported to the Bartow County Jail. The age of those arrested range from 15 to 31 years old.

"The booking process for incoming prisoners takes time for those with valid identification and more time for those who do not, or refuse to reveal their identity, which was the case on many of these," the Drug Task Force added. As of 5 p.m., all of those who have been arrested were issued a bond amount.

Cartersville police spokesperson Lt. Mike Bettikofer said the investigation and evidence uncovered at the home was turned over to the Drug Task Force for further action.

"It has been a long-standing policy of the Cartersville Police Department that drug investigations routine patrol officers encounter are referred to the Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force," he added. "This current policy is now under review for any further drug investigations."

Image via Bartow-Cartersville Drug Task Force