A huge anti-gang operation in Spalding County involving local and state law enforcement agencies culminated Thursday with the indictment of more than 100 suspects, authorities said.
Officials announced that two operations targeting separate gangs resulted in the unusually large number of defendants. The first, “Operation Krack the Ice,” focused on the Ghostface Gangsters and a methamphetamine trafficking scheme that involved Mexican cartels and suspected gang members in Georgia’s state prisons. The operation led to the indictment of 34 suspects, the GBI said.
The second, “Operation Bloodclot,” targeted the Neighborhood Bloods Rollin’ 20s Zoo Krew gang, which Spalding officials say is responsible for much of the county’s violent crime. That operation led to the indictment of 76 people, 57 of whom have already been arrested, according to Sheriff Darryl Dix.
Many alleged Zoo Krew members were taken into custody during a sting operation that began Wednesday afternoon, Dix said. The investigation involved the execution of more than a dozen search warrants and resulted in the recovery of at least 25 guns.
The indictments were announced at a news conference that also included Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, Griffin Judicial Circuit District Attorney Marie Broder, GBI Director Mike Register and Georgia Department of Corrections Director Tyrone Oliver. During his remarks, Dix took issue with critics who he said downplay the threat of gang violence.
“Criminal street gangs in Georgia have affiliations and ties to other criminal street gangs across the nation, and they are not ‘wannabes’ like we hear all the time,” Dix said. “Those days are gone.”
He illustrated his point by mentioning the recent killings of 22-year-old Jacqueris Holland and 11-year-old Asijah Jones, both of whom were shot to death in separate incidents despite having no gang affiliation.
Holland, a college student, was found dead in the middle of North Hill Street in May 2022 alongside his bullet-riddled car, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.
“Gang members pulled up beside him and filled his car with holes. He stepped out of the car he was in and collapsed in the middle of the street,” Dix said.
More recently, Jones was killed when she was hit by a stray bullet as she slept in her apartment in March. The Spalding Heights complex was sprayed with more than 20 rifle shots, Dix said, and a single bullet fatally wounded the 11-year-old.
Two men were arrested in the case of Holland’s killing and one was arrested about a month after Jones’ death, Dix said. All three were named in the indictment announced Thursday.
Dix said “Operation Bloodclot” was meant to combat an increase in violence, especially in drive-by shootings, allegedly driven by the Zoo Krew gang. The sheriff said he believes the group has been responsible for more than half of Spalding’s shootings in the first quarter of the year.
“Operation Krack the Ice” focused mostly on the Ghostface Gangsters’ alleged drug trafficking operation, according to the GBI. The state agency said the case hinged on suspected gang member Chad Ashley Allen, who is serving a life sentence for murder.
From prison, Allen was able to coordinate the trafficking of large amounts of meth from Mexico, the GBI said. Using contraband cellphones, the gang was able to coordinate a network of drug distribution both inside and outside of prison, as well as launder their illicit profits through mobile banking apps, according to the state agency.
Court officials have not publicly shared copies of the indictments.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
About the Author
