Largest Ever Heroin Bust in Georgia Links to Dangerous Mexican Cartel, Say Feds

CBP officers seized nearly 40 pounds of cocaine and heroin at the Lincoln-Juarez Internati
Photo: U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Laredo Sector

On July 27, agents with the Atlanta DEA office in collaboration with other federal agencies executed multiple search warrants at apartments and houses believed to be acting as stash and distribution spots for the metro area. The seized items were publicly displayed this week and are officially believed to amount to the largest heroin bust in Georgia’s history.

The searches included a studio apartment where agents found around 28 kilograms of heroin, six kilos of cocaine, eight kilos of marijuana, at least $1 million cash, 41 firearms, and paraphernalia. At another home, agents found 142 kilos of heroin and 4 kilos of cocaine.

Investigators say the case started in October 2019 in Mexico where the DEA and partners seized $7 million in cash and uncovered ledgers connecting to 46-year-old Atlanta resident Antonio “Freckleface Shawn” DaShawn Daniels.

The ledgers reportedly demonstrated that from August 2018 and October 2019, Daniels received at least 1,000 kilograms of cocaine and returned more than $1 million in proceeds, officials said. Federal agents laid out their case against Daniels, explaining how they believe he became the primary connection between Atlanta and one of Mexico’s most dangerous cartels, Cartel Jalisco New Generation (CJNG).

“This investigation has ties all the way up to the highest level of cartel activities in Mexico,” said B.J. Pak, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “Daniels allegedly used these ties to flood this district with drugs and reap the financial benefits. We will not tolerate the destruction of lives through the scourge of the drug trade.”

Jaeson Jones is a retired Captain from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Intelligence and Counterterrorism Division and a Breitbart Texas contributor. While on duty, he managed daily operations for the Texas Rangers Border Security Operations Center.

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