Search Warrant Operation in Gwinnett County Leads to 24 Arrests and Seizure of Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Firearms

Search Warrant Operation in Gwinnett County Leads to 24 Arrests and Seizure of Cocaine, Fentanyl, and Firearms

Gwinnett County, GA (September 17, 2025) - The GBI has arrested and charged 24 people following a search warrant operation in Gwinnett County, GA. The GBI’s Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO) and the Gwinnett Metro Task Force (GMTF), along with the Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), executed five search warrants in the Buford area of Gwinnett County. These search warrants represented the first phase of a lengthy investigation into the fentanyl drug trafficking organization (DTO) suspected of being spearheaded by Adrian Bernard Butler.

The following people were arrested during the operation:

• Adrian Bernard Butler, age 38, of Buford, Georgia, charged with two counts of Trafficking Fentanyl, Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Possession of a Firearm during the Commission of a Felony, Violation of Georgia Controlled Substances Act Schedule 1, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• John Raymon Thompson, age 40, of Buford, Georgia, charged with three counts of Trafficking Fentanyl, Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, Violation of Georgia Controlled Substances Act Schedule 1, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, Tampering with Evidence, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Erron Lamar Butler, age 39, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Cedric Terrill Blockum, age 46, of Flowery Brach, Georgia, charged with Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Reginal Marques Henderson, age 39, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Christopher Mario Brown, age 33, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, charged with three counts of Trafficking Cocaine, Possession with the Intent to Distribute Cocaine, Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Roderick Dorsey, age 44, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Trafficking Fentanyl, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Related Objects, Violation of the Georgia RICO Act, Use of a Communication Facility during the Commission of a Felony, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Jarmarcus Cantrell, age 32, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Trafficking Fentanyl, Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Drug Related Objects, and three counts of Financial Transaction Card Theft.
• Holly Anglin, age 52, of Duluth, Georgia, charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Related Objects, Defective Taillights, and Failure to Signal Lane Change.
• Samantha Spillers, age 57, of Lula, Georgia, charged with Possession of Methamphetamine, Tampering with Evidence, and Possession of Drug Related Objects.
• Russell Talbot, age 64, of Dahlonega, Georgia, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Fentanyl, and Brake Lights Requirements.
• Shareese Bell, age 21, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Marijuana and Possession of Drug Related Objects.
• Matthew Reynolds, age 41, of Gainesville, Georgia, charged with Possession of Fentanyl, Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Related Objects, and Improper Lane Change.
• Ashley Phillips, age 34, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Possession of Fentanyl, Possession of Schedule IV Controlled Substance, and Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Darius Darrell Walker, age 30, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony and Probation Violation.
• Kelly McGinley, age 61, of Gainesville, Georgia, charged with Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony and Use of a Communication Facility in Commission of a Felony.
• Joseph Wade Willis, age 52, of Sugar Hill, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Mellissa Friel, age 49, of Sugar Hill, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Alexis Parson, age 24, of Cumming, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony, and Use of a Communication Facility in Commission of a Felony.
• Daniel Dara So, age 49, of Sugar Hill, Georgia, charged with Criminal Attempt to Commit a Felony, and Use of a Communication Facility in Commission of a Felony.
• Bryah Capers, age 32, of Buford, Georgia, charged with Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Distribute, and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony.
• Dimple Surani, age 30, of Dacula, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• Stefan Darie, age 35, of Dacula, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.
• William Pete Bachelor, age 44, of Maysville, Georgia, charged with Conspiracy to Commit a Felony.

The Butler DTO is responsible for trafficking kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine, and crack cocaine throughout Gwinnett County and northeast Georgia. While heavily concentrated in Buford, GA, Flowery Branch, GA, and Gainesville, Hall County, GA, the organization’s tentacles spread throughout Forsyth, Jackson, Habersham, and Lumpkin Counties. Law enforcement is actively investigating multiple fentanyl overdose death investigations connected to the Butler DTO.

To date, this investigation has led to the seizure of approximately one kilogram of cocaine, ounces of fentanyl, ounces of crack cocaine, multiple pounds of marijuana, and eight firearms.

The investigation is ongoing, and additional charges are imminent. The GBI and GCSO expect evidence from this investigation to generate investigative leads for law enforcement agencies in the region on outstanding opioid overdose investigations and drug trafficking investigations. Over the past 12 months, this DTO has displayed a remarkable propensity for indifference in the face of fentanyl overdose events.

GBI ARDEO and GCSO expects this operation and the subsequent arrests will positively impact Gwinnett County and numerous other counties throughout northeast, GA.

The following agencies assisted GBI ARDEO and GMTF in this investigation:

• Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program
• GBI Metro Gang Task Force
• Gwinnett County District Attorney’s Office
• Gwinnett County Sheriff’s Office
• Gwinnett County Police Communications Unit
• Lawrenceville Police Department
• United States Marshals
• University of North Georgia Digital Intelligence Unit

If you have information related to drug activity, you are encouraged to call 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.