Georgia Meth Lab Busted, $3.2 Million In Drugs Seized

DAHLONEGA, GA — A traffic stop in north Georgia on Friday led authorities to busting a methamphetamine lab, disrupting what they call a major trafficking ring and seizing a staggering $3.2 million worth of the drug.

In Lumpkin County, sheriff's deputies stopped Angel Luis Rivera-Santiago and Victor Rafael Aponte and seized 15 kilograms of meth, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. A follow-up investigation by the sheriff's office and FBI agents led them to 990 Flanders Rd. in Dahlonega, where authorities say Valentine Duarte-Vejar tried to run away.

He was captured, the GBI said, in possession of a handgun and a search warrant at the home yielded several grams of cocaine and $166,000 in cash. Agents continued to follow leads and found what they say was a meth conversion lab at 843 Cooper Creek Rd. in Suches — a town north of Dahlonega near the North Carolina state line. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Conversion labs are used to convert liquid methamphetamine into its crystal form. Agents say they located a handgun and 15 kilograms of meth at the lab. Agents also processed about 300 pounds of environmental waste, much of it containing methamphetamine oil.

According to the GBI, the lab was capable of producing 25-50 kilograms of meth at a time. The Union County Sheriff's Office, EMS and fire department helped with safely processing the lab.

"This short but effective investigation was a federal, state, and local partnership that disrupted and dismantled a drug distribution network’s attempt to flood our communities with this destructive drug for their own financial gain," the GBI said in a news release.

The street value of the 30 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine seized is $3,234,000, the GBI said.

Rivera-Santiago, 42, of Norcross, Aponte, 30, of Dahlonega and Duarte-Vejar, 25, of Dahlonega were charged with trafficking methamphetamine.

Eleoncio Perez-Pineda, 29, of Dahlonega, and Jose Mario Duarte-Vejar, 25, of Dahlonega were later arrested in Dahlonega and charged with conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine. These five men were transported to the Lumpkin County Detention Center and authorities are investigating their immigration status, the GBI said.

Photos courtesy Georgia Bureau of Investigation