ATHENS, Ga. – Seventeen people face federal charges after law enforcement dismantled what prosecutors describe as a violent drug trafficking network that pumped fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, and other narcotics into Athens and surrounding Northeast Georgia communities.
U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes announced Tuesday that two indictments and one criminal complaint were unsealed, charging the defendants with conspiracy, distribution, and firearms offenses. The charges stem from a coordinated raid on August 26, when federal, state, and local agencies executed 12 search warrants in Athens and Atlanta.
Authorities arrested 13 suspects and uncovered a cache of weapons and drugs, including 26 firearms, 12 rifles, a grenade launcher seized in Jefferson, and more than $900,000 in drugs and cash. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, the search yielded 26 kilograms of cocaine valued at roughly $780,000, 1.7 kilograms of fentanyl worth $60,000, as well as methamphetamine, crack cocaine, marijuana, pharmaceuticals, and $63,532 in cash.
17 indicted
Among those charged in the first indictment, filed in May and unsealed this week, are:
- Alicio Yanez-Pineda, 48, of Mexico
- Josue Serda, 26, of Jefferson
- Ulises Borja, 33, of Cedartown
- Travis Arnold, 33, of Athens
- Ariel Collins, 32, of Athens
- Patrick Wilkins, 32, of Athens
- Edgar Jara, 27, of Jefferson
- Tyler Parr, 27, of Jefferson
- Gregory Robinson, 32, of Athens
- Deshun Muckle, 51, of Athens
Prosecutors allege the group conspired to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and more than 50 grams of methamphetamine between January 2024 and May 2025. Investigators say Arnold and Collins maintained a drug house on Sartain Drive in Athens, while Robinson distributed fentanyl, cocaine, and oxycodone from Essex Court.
Six other suspects were named in the second indictment, filed earlier this month. They are:
- Orlando Muckle, 51, of Athens
- Joey Campbell, 41, of Winterville
- Bernard Walker, 53, of Athens
- Lanier Cooper, 22, of Athens
- Myles Kolbe Cooper, 27, of Athens
- Tommy Lee Smith, 65, of Athens
Prosecutors allege the men conspired to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and over five kilograms of cocaine beginning in October 2020. According to court filings, the Cooper defendants ran operations out of Commerce Parkway, while Muckle allegedly stored cocaine at an apartment on Jennings Mill Parkway.
In addition, Halie Marie Money, 26, of Jefferson, is charged in a separate criminal complaint with unlawful possession of a firearm while using drugs. Authorities say she and Serda were found unconscious in a parked car outside the Walmart on Epps Bridge Parkway in Athens on June 20, with drug paraphernalia in plain view. Deputies later recovered a Glock pistol she allegedly admitted owning.
Most defendants face maximum sentences of life in prison if convicted.
Regional drug crackdown
The case is part of Operation Take Back America and Operation Summer Heat, nationwide initiatives targeting cartels and violent drug organizations.
“This success would not have been possible without the teamwork and collaboration of our federal, state, and local partners,” the FBI said on social media.
Agencies assisting in the Athens investigation included the FBI, DEA, GBI, Georgia Department of Corrections, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Athens-Clarke County Police Department, Gwinnett County Police Department, Sandy Springs Police Department, Clarke County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, and Oconee County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Morrison is prosecuting the case.
