GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday announced the arrest of 47 people in connection to the Sureños gang, the result of a nine-month investigation.
The sheriff's office said they discovered an element of the Sureños operating in Georgia in August 2023. The the investigation that followed involved "physical and electronic surveillance, undercover operations, collaboration with cooperating individuals and confidential sources, as well as skilled interviewing and interrogation techniques."
In addition to the 47 arrests, the sheriff's office said it seized more than $300,000 in cash, 14 firearms, almost 200 kilograms of methamphetamine, almost 37 kilograms of cocaine and other drugs.
Charges in the case include narcotics trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, racketeering and criminal street gang activity.
“The GCSO recognizes the right of every individual to be secure and protected from fear, intimidation, and physical harm.” Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office Chief Cleophas Atwater said in a statement. “Our dedicated Special Investigations Section, which includes the Gang Unit, has demonstrated exceptional commitment and expertise in addressing these challenges, and we commend their outstanding efforts.”
Robert J. Murphy, a federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division special agent, said cases like this one "clearly demonstrate the resolve of the DEA to hold violent drug traffickers accountable." And Gwinnett County District Attorney Chief Assistant John Melvin said that office "will undertake the arduous task of ensuring that these defendants remain off the streets and are held accountable for their actions."
The Gwinnett Sheriff's Office credited numerous other agencies around metro Atlanta in the case, including: DEA, Riverdale Police Department, Heard County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Department of Corrections, Spalding County Sheriff’s Office, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, the Marietta/Cobb/Smyrna Organized Crime Unit, Georgia State Patrol, Department of Community Supervision, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, Lamar County Sheriff’s Office, Barrow County Sheriff’s Office, Dekalb County Police, City of Newnan Police, and Bartow County Sheriff’s Office.
