A huge stash of nearly 600 pounds of marijuana, along with other illegal drugs, was seized at a Buckhead apartment Wednesday after an investigation sparked by an anonymous tip, police said.
The drug cache, consisting mostly of marijuana valued at about $2 million, was found at the AMLI 3464 apartments at 3464 Roxboro Road, Atlanta police said in a news conference Thursday. The stash house also held marijuana edibles and vape pens, psilocybin mushrooms, bottles of promethazine and about $100,000 in cash, according to authorities.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
The mountains of evidence allegedly recovered from the scene nearly filled a small side room at the Atlanta Public Safety Annex. Officers confiscated nearly 600 pounds of marijuana in professional-looking, vacuum-sealed bags labeled with accurate weights, Lt. Robert Albertini said. Some of the boxes were too heavy to carry by hand into the room, according to a department spokeswoman.
Two people were arrested, but police did not share their identities because the investigation remains active.
Albertini said the probe began earlier this month with an anonymous tip. Using unspecified “investigative techniques,” narcotics officers determined the tip was accurate and developed enough probable cause to secure a search warrant. That search was executed Wednesday, and Albertini said collecting and codifying all the evidence took nearly a day.
In addition to the raw marijuana, police said they recovered nearly 50 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, 40 pounds of THC edibles, 1,600 THC candy bars and more than 2,600 THC vape pens. The marijuana seized doubled the amount confiscated by Atlanta police throughout all of 2023.
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
Investigators said they were particularly concerned with the 20 1-pint bottles of promethazine found at the apartment. After connecting with federal agents, the narcotics squad determined the prescription promethazine syrup could only have been obtained by robbing a pharmacy, according to Albertini.
The narcotics commander cautioned the public against viewing the seizure lightly just because it involved so-called “softer” drugs.
“We know that much of the crime in Buckhead, particularly homicides last year, came about from drug-related violence. Some people will say, ‘It’s just marijuana,’” Albertini said. “Well, hold it right there, because it’s not just marijuana. It’s the collateral damage that comes from when people get robbed for the marijuana and innocent victims are targeted here.”
Credit: Henri Hollis
Credit: Henri Hollis
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