Hundreds Of Pounds Of Meth, Cocaine Seized, 10 Charged In Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — Hundreds of pounds of meth and cocaine were seized and 10 people were criminally charged after a months-long drug investigation in Gwinnett County.

Ten firearms and $2 million in cash also were seized as part of the investigation by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and the Gwinnett County District Attorney Office's drug task force.

During the investigation, law enforcement officers seized more than 400 pounds of methamphetamine and 175 pounds of cocaine, the district attorney's office said.

What the office described as extensive surveillance and other investigative techniques led to search warrants at several Gwinnett homes and traffic stops, during which officers made seizures and arrests. (SIGN UP: Get Patch's Daily Newsletter and Real Time News Alerts. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.)

Authorities say those arrested were members of a Mexican-based drug trafficking and money laundering operation. The investigation began in Coweta County in February and quickly centered in Gwinnett, the DA's office said.

A grand jury indicted 10 people as a result of the investigation on drug charges that included meth and cocaine trafficking. Those indicted, according to the district attorney's office, were:

• Angel Santiago
• Carlos Wilson Paz
• Carmelo Reyes-Lozano
• Cesar Leonel Perez-Flores
• Jose Heredia Gonzalez
• Nicolas Fernandez-Lopez
• Raul Solorio-Campos
• Rony Omar Martinez-Colon
• Tracy Price
• Kevin Ernest Contreras

In addition to those indicted in Gwinnett, 25 more people were arrested in Coweta, Clayton, Barrow, Henry and Fulton counties as well as North Carolina.

The DEA was assisted during the investigation by local agencies including the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office, Gwinnett Metro Task Force and the Lawrenceville Police Department.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County District Attorney's office