FBI Director Kash Patel and Drug Enforcement Administration officials are celebrating a major victory in the war against drug trafficking after a joint operation led to one of Georgia's largest drug seizures. The historic bust yielded enough fentanyl to potentially kill 48 million Americans.
According to Fox News, federal agents executed three search warrants last Thursday, resulting in the arrest of 47-year-old Bartholomew Keeton Harralson and the seizure of more than 252 kilograms of drugs valued at over $9 million, along with 33 firearms.
The operation, part of a broader initiative called Operation Take Back America, represents a significant blow to drug trafficking networks operating in the Atlanta area. U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced that Harralson faces multiple charges that could result in at least 40 years in prison or potentially a life sentence.
Law enforcement agents discovered an alarming arsenal of narcotics during the raid on Harralson's Atlanta-area residence. The haul included over 56 kilograms of fentanyl, 84 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 10 kilograms of heroin, and approximately 4 kilograms of cocaine in both powder form and hundreds of thousands of pressed pills.
The search also yielded nine firearms, including one converted to function as a machine gun, and $145,000 in cash. In a particularly ironic twist, agents found a book titled "How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges" in Harralson's possession at the time of his arrest.
DEA Atlanta Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung emphasized the historic nature of the operation, noting it resulted in "the largest fentanyl seizure to date in the state of Georgia." The quantity of fentanyl alone—97 kilograms across all locations—contains enough lethal doses to kill approximately 48 million people.
The investigation revealed a sophisticated drug manufacturing operation spread across multiple locations. At Harralson's Douglasville residence, agents discovered two large pill press machines capable of producing up to 25,000 pills per hour, along with three hydraulic presses used to form kilogram-sized bricks of narcotics.
This secondary location contained even more narcotics: over 37 kilograms of fentanyl, about 13 kilograms of methamphetamine, over 8 kilograms of heroin, and more than 6 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs were found in both powder form and as hundreds of thousands of pressed pills designed to mimic prescription medications.
A machine shop behind the Douglasville residence functioned as part of the manufacturing operation, housing approximately 1,375 pounds of binding agent used in pill production, 564 punch dies for marking pills, 19 additional firearms, four drum-style magazines, and significant ammunition. FBI Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown noted that two ballistic vests were also found during the searches.
Director Patel, who was appointed to lead the FBI under the Trump administration, expressed pride in the successful operation and emphasized the importance of interagency cooperation in combating drug trafficking organizations.
"I'm proud of the outstanding work by our agents and grateful for the strong partnership of the DEA in this joint effort," Patel said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "This was a major takedown – dozens of weapons, large quantities of fentanyl and meth, and key members of a sophisticated drug network taken off the streets."
The operation aligns with Patel's directive to the FBI workforce to "crush violent crime," as Special Agent Brown explained during a press briefing. Brown highlighted the urgency of their mission, noting that "right now, we have an American dying every seven minutes from drug overdoses, and homicides occur twice each hour."
DEA officials confirmed that the enormous quantities of drugs discovered in the bust indicated a direct connection to Mexican drug cartels. The operation is part of Operation Take Back America, which aims to streamline efforts within the Department of Homeland Security to crack down on illegal immigration and eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
Harralson now faces three serious charges: possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. If convicted on all counts, he faces a minimum of 40 years in federal prison.
The successful operation represents what Director Patel described as a "serious blow to those profiting off addiction" and demonstrates the administration's "unwavering commitment to protecting American communities."
