Man Charged With Trafficking Heroin In Cherokee

WOODSTOCK, GA -- Authorities have arrested an Atlanta man on charges he allegedly tried to sell a large amount of heroin in Cherokee County.

Agents with the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad have arrested 47-year-old Dwight Lucas as he tried to distribute a "trafficking amount" of heroin within the county borders, the agency said Friday. The operation and subsequent arrest wrapped up Wednesday, May 31.

CMANS Commander Phil Price said agents received information that Lucas would be arriving at the Home Depot on Highway 92 near I-575 in Woodstock for a possible transaction. Lucas arrived at the store, and agents were able to take him into custody, he added.

Lucas was booked into the Cherokee County Adult Detention Center with no bond on a slew of felony charges, including trafficking heroin, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of a Schedule IV with intent to distribute, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The investigation revealed Lucas had 10 grams of heroin in his possession, which is more than twice the 4-gram weight required for a trafficking amount in the state of Georgia, CMANS said.

"Taking this amount of heroin off the streets makes our community safer and certainly has saved lives," Price added. "Intelligence tells us that the heroin, which is readily purchased by drug users, is not pure heroin and is usually laced with synthetic opiates such as fentanyl, which is 100 times stronger than morphine."

Lucas's arrest comes on the heels of CMANS forming the Heroin Prescription Drug Task Force, an initiative made up of a team of agents who are targeting the heroin and prescription drug problem in the Cherokee County community.

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, Canton Police Department, Woodstock Police Department, Holly Springs Police Department, Ball Ground Police Department, Cherokee County Marshal’s Office, District Attorney’s Office for the Blue Ridge Judicial Circuit, Cherokee County School Police Department and Georgia State Patrol.

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

Photo: Dwight Lucas. Credit: Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad