A “street-level reverse” operation by agents with the Mid-South Narcotics Task Force led to the arrests of 21 people on drug-related charges last Friday.

“We had been getting complaints from citizens who live in the area about that address,” said Major Jeff Youngblood of the 808 Armour Road residence where the busts took place.

Agents served a search warrant on the residence where they found only the people, a television and a couch inside, and confiscated approximately 127 grams of marijuana and 6 grams of cocaine. Six people were immediately arrested when agents served the warrant. Alphonso M. Wright, 20, 1003 E. Eighth St., was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; Derrick Ross, 18, 1433 Shanna Drive, with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute and obstruction of a law enforcement officer; Horace Webster, 20, 712 S. College Ave., with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute; Sabrina Celeste Lockett, 823 Armour Road, with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; Michael Justin Gordon, 22, 1515 Brookvale Drive, with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; and Terrance Lamont Green, 30, 2907 James Ave., with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine and obstruction of a law enforcement officer.

Youngblood described those arrested and charged with distribution as “mid-level” dealers.

“Two of the defendants were buying dope to take out and sell somewhere else,” Youngblood said.

After the search warrant was served, undercover agents posing as drug dealers then began selling drugs to those who approached the residence.

“The agents sat in the yard and let the people walk up to them and let them start the conversation,” Youngblood said.

The undercover agents were selling powder and crack cocaine, Youngblood said.

Agents in “take down teams” in the area made arrests as soon as the buys were conducted, Youngblood said.

Youngblood said the operations can stop people from coming into an area to buy drugs and make areas unattractive to drug dealers.

The operations, Youngblood said, take weeks of surveillance and jumping through legal hurdles to secure search warrants.

“It’s not like you see on t.v. where they just go in,” Youngblood said. “We have to follow federal and state laws and abide by the constitution.”

One of the suspects threw a pistol down as agents entered the house, one jumped out a back window in an attempt to escape and another fought with one of the agents, Youngblood said, but no one was seriously injured.

“They had the front door of the residence heavily barricaded and we had to go to another door and break it open to get inside,” Youngblood said.

Such busts, Youngblood said, can lead to the confiscation of stolen property that was used to buy illegal drugs, but no stolen property was found in this case.

Agents with the Tift County Sheriff’s Office and an Albany drug unit assisted the task force with the operation.

Others arrested and charged with purchase of cocaine during the operation include: Branden Adam McCurdy, 20, 2021 Oriole Way; Twanantha Smith, 30, 1116 S. College Ave.; Teresa Ballantine, 43, 5 Moore Road; Jerry Lawrence Brown, 24, 816 Pineview Circle; Tyrone Barber, 37, 1364 Main St.; Randy Phillips, (age and address unknown); Rodriguez Pena, 37, 512 Elm St.; Jeffery Richardson, 58, 2675 Ga. Highway 32 W., Chula; James Murell Wright, 32, 422 Dillard St.; Juanita Bennett, 46, 4 Pertilla Place, Apt. 36; John S. Cooksey, 51, 1464 Old Ocilla Road; Christopher Chad Barnes, 23, 6265 Clonedale Highway, Ashburn; Ronnie Alvin Pettiford, 43, 504 E. Golden Road; Homar Adams Jr., 32, 85 Oak Road; and Tito Gonzalez Gomez, 46, 14 Ira Drive.



To contact senior reporter Angie Thompson, call 382-4321.