Multi-Agency Operation Dismantles Major Hall County Drug Ring in Jackson County and Hall County

Jackson County and Hall County, GA (June 24, 2026) - The GBI has arrested and charged four people in Gainesville, GA, and Commerce, GA, with Trafficking and Conspiracy to Traffic Methamphetamine following a multi-agency operation in Jackson County and Hall County, GA. The operation targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly responsible for distributing hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine throughout North Georgia.

The following subjects were arrested on June 16, 2026:

• Jennifer Lynn Byers, age 56, of Commerce, GA
• James Edward Daniel, age 54, of Maysville, GA
• Eldon Dwayne Fricks, age 60, of Maysville, GA
• Larry Dwayne Fricks, age 35, of Gainesville, GA

The GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), in collaboration with local and federal partners, executed multiple search and arrest warrants across Hall County and Jackson County. The operation aimed to disrupt a distribution network identified as a major source of narcotics in the region. During the operation, on June 16, 2026, law enforcement seized approximately 90 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in Commerce, GA, and arrested four people. A total of 122 pounds of suspected methamphetamine was seized during the duration of this several-month-long investigation.

Byers, Daniel, Eldon Fricks, and Larry Fricks were booked into the Jackson County Jail.

Additionally, four other people were arrested during this investigation before June 16, 2026.

The investigation involved a high level of cooperation between multiple law enforcement agencies. The GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, the GBI Metro Atlanta Gang Task Force, Bartow County Drug Task Force, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, the Jackson County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office participated in the operation.

The investigation is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the GBI ARDEO at (706) 348-7410. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.