Investigators say they have arrested several members of a violent drug gang and a grandmother who they say played a key role in the case
WSB-TV investigative reporter Mark Winne was the only Atlanta reporter in court Monday as members of the Ghost Face Gangsters faced racketeering charges.
The gang is said to be more than 400 strong in Georgia and heavily involved in the drug trade.
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Winne spoke to Patty Green, the grandmother involved in the case, on Monday inside the Newton County detention center.
"I have grandchildren. I'm definitely not a racketeer," Green told Winne. "I am not a criminal."
Green told Winne she is totally innocent of the charges against her.
A DA investigator says an indictment paints Green as a key associate of a gang that's anchored inside Georgia prisons called the Ghost Face Gangsters.
The investigator says it has 228 confirmed members plus an estimated 200 associates outside prison.
"Have you ever heard of the Ghost Face Gang?" Winne asked Green.
"I've heard of a lot of different gangs. But I don't even believe that they're really gangs," Green said.
The indictment accuses Green, Zachary Young and others of conspiring to murder a witness in a murder case against Chad Allen, Green's son.
The indictment describes multiple rounds fired into a residence containing five people. The investigator says none were hit.
Winne asked Green if she was involved in a murder plot and she said no.
"Never … I'm a very kind and friendly and outgoing person," Green said.
In a document, the Newton County DA's investigator suggests Green used her residence as a base for helping her son Chad and other Ghost Face members distribute drugs and contraband.
It describes cellphone, tobacco and drug smuggling to inmates in state facilities.
Allegations that Green denies.
The indictment charges Jason Barnes among others with meth allegations.
The investigator told Winne that the Ghost Face Gangsters is a major player in meth distribution in east metro Atlanta outside prison.
"It's like I want to wake up from this bad nightmare, you know?" Green said.
The nine-month investigation involved 11 agencies including the Newton County DA, The Georgia Department of Corrections, the Newton County Sheriff's Office and the Rockdale County Sheriff Office.
The investigation turned up an alliance between the Ghost Face Gangsters and the Oldline Gangster Disciples.
