In total, authorities said they seized 170 kilograms of heroin, 10 kilograms of cocaine, eight kilograms of marijuana, more than $ 1 million in cash, and 41 firearms.
“That’s a driving amount of heroin. I was dumb,” Robert J. Murphy, special agent in the Atlanta Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, told a news conference on Wednesday.
“Several kilos would have been a big gain in the past,” he added. “In my entire 30-plus years of law enforcement, I never expected this much heroin to be possessed here in Atlanta.”
The cartel connection
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Northern District of Georgia announced that Daniels, 46, was indicted on federal charges of possession of intent to distribute heroin, cocaine, and marijuana, and possession of a firearm in drug trafficking.
“The amount of drugs, money and firearms allegedly controlled by Daniels marks the scale of heroin and cocaine in this community by local drug dealers with high ties to international drug trafficking organizations,” U.S. Attorney Byung J. Pak said in a statement. news release.
CNN reached out to Daniels’ lawyer for comment, but received no response.
The case comes from a lengthy investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Federal Bureau of Investigation with the help of state and local authorities. During the news conference, agents involved in the case said Daniels was affiliated with the Jalisco New Generation Cartel in Mexico.
“What’s also unusual about this is how we got to this point,” Murphy said. “We have finally worked this out backwards and we have made several seizures in Mexico.”
Agents said they were fired over Daniels after a $ 7 million seizure in Mexico last year. During that bust, they found financial ledgers pleading guilty to the Atlanta man received more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine between August 2018 and October 2019, according to the release.
“The ledgers reflect that Daniels returned more than $ 31 million in drug proceeds to the organization that was eventually transported to Mexico,” according to the release.
Agents said the indictment is just beginning and that more arrests are expected.
“Because of COVID, criminals think police are not there,” Pak said at the news conference. “This is a perfect example that we are there to keep poison and dangerous materials off the streets.”
Laura James and Harmeet Kaur of CNN contributed to this report.
.
