21 arrested in Cook County in FBI-led operation

ADEL — FBI Agents, along with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local authorities, surrounded homes across Cook County early Thursday morning, taking 18 of 21 charged defendants into custody, all of which are being charged with conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. The takedown is part of a case targeting a large drug trafficking network originating in Adel.

A total of 21 defendants are named in a newly unsealed federal indictment. The indictment also includes additional charges for each defendant, including two charges for possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

In total, 18 defendants have been arrested:

· Mitchell Brown, 37, Adel

· Rosa Lee Simmons, 43, Adel

· Christopher Martin, 53, Adel

· Larkem Hayes, 35, Adel

· Tyrone McCormick, 51, Adel

· Willie Keeley, 50, Adel

· Bobby Kaiser, 52, Adel

· Willie Brown, 41, Adel

· Carla McNorton, 54, Adel

· Justin Thompson, 36, Adel

· Calvin Smith, 55, Adel

· Yardley Payne, 55, Adel

· Lyric Linder, 27, Adel

· Calvin Smith Jr., 34, Tifton

· Harold Gray, 53, Adel

· Vernando Henley, 42, Valdosta

· Joe Smith, 54, Axson

· Amjed Hajjaj, 41, Dinuba, Calif.

The following defendants remain at large:

· Maria Graham, 43, Adel

· Eddie Harley, 34, Riverview Fla.

· Charles Dunwoody, 44, Hollywood, Calif.

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the above-named defendants is asked to contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to tips.fbi.gov.

This case is being investigated by the Southwest Georgia Gang Task Force.

Agencies involved in the investigation include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia State Patrol, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Hahira Police Department, Cook County Sheriff’s Office, Adel Police Department, United States Marshal Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.

Special Photo: FBISpecial Photo: FBI