Multi-Agency Operation Targets Major DeKalb County Drug Ring

Atlanta, DeKalb County, GA (June 26, 2026) – The GBI has arrested and charged Carrizal Humberto, age 32, of California, and Malcolm Stephens, age 34, of Toccoa, GA, with Trafficking Methamphetamine, following a joint operation in DeKalb County, GA. The operation targeted a major Mexican-based drug trafficking organization (DTO), which is allegedly a primary source of supply for methamphetamine across North Georgia, responsible for flooding the region with hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine.

The investigation was a collaborative effort led by the GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), working in close coordination with the DeKalb County Police Department, U.S. DHS Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Homeland Security Task Force. The joint operation culminated on June 23, 2026, with the arrests of Humberto and Stephens and the seizure of approximately 90 pounds of suspected methamphetamine in Atlanta, GA.

Humberto and Stephens were booked into the DeKalb County Jail.

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.

The ARDEO is a multi-agency unit that covers 30 counties in North Georgia and consists of the following Sheriff’s Offices and Police Agencies: White County, Lumpkin County, Banks County, Jackson County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Rabun County, Franklin County, Gilmer County, Fannin County, the Cleveland Police Department the Flowery Branch Police Department, and the Toccoa Police Department, along with the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.