Appalachian drug agents arrest five in fentanyl trafficking racket in north Georgia

Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald
·2 min read
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A months-long investigation into the trafficking of the deadly drug fentanyl in the Jackson and Banks counties area ended recently with the arrest of three Georgians and two of their associates from Virginia.

The arrests were made on June 29, but announced Monday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

“They were getting their supply from our area and taking it back to Virginia,” Trent Hillsman, agent in charge of the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, said Monday about two suspects from Virginia.

The case broke when a Georgia State Patrol trooper made a traffic stop on William “Faye” Lomack, 48, of Maysville along a road in Banks County.

During the arrest, Lomack was in possession of about 450 grams of suspected fentanyl, two firearms, and an undisclosed among of cash described only as large, according to the GBI.

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Following his arrest, officers obtained search warrants and searched a motel room in Commerce and Lomack’s home in Maysville, where more fentanyl was seized along with four more firearms and 28 grams of methamphetamine.

Agents then rounded up the other suspects, a 54-year-old convicted felon from Marion, Va., a 28-year-old man from Richland, Va., along with a Maysville woman and Winder woman.

All of the suspects are charged with trafficking fentanyl along with possession of firearms during a crime. They were lodged in the Banks County jail.

Hillsman said the investigation has been ongoing since early this year and that aspects of the case are still under investigation.

Fentanyl is a dangerous drug described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration as 100 more times more potent than morphine. Just 2 milligrams can be a lethal dose, according to the federal agency.

The Appalachian office covers 30 counties across north Georgia stretching from Gilmer to Lincoln counties.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: GBI: Georgians, Virginians working together in fentanyl trafficking