Deputies seize record haul of meth, enough fentanyl to kill 1.17M
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Over the weekend, Richmond County deputies made the biggest meth bust in Richmond County history while also seizing enough fentanyl to kill everyone in a city the size of Jacksonville.
After a six-month investigation, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, with assistance from the Crime Suppression Division, executed search warrants Sunday at these locations:
- 200 block of East Hale Street
- 100 block of Tybee Court
- 1300 block of Marks Church Road (apartment complex)
As a result, investigators seized:
- 20,100.08 grams of methamphetamine
- 2,345.6 grams of fentanyl
- Two guns
- $18,346 in cash
- One vehicle
The fentanyl alone is more lethal than many weapons of mass destruction, totaling 2.345 million milligrams. Experts say 2 milligrams is lethal, so that’s enough fentanyl to kill 1.17 million people.
25-year-old killed at apartments in crime-troubled Fox Trace area off Wrightsboro Road
One person is dead after a shooting at an apartment complex off Wrightsboro Road in a neighborhood that’s historically been troubled with violent crime.
While the fentanyl haul was huge, it wasn’t a record for Augusta, where enough fentanyl was seized in an October 2023 bust to kill 3.5 million people.
In connection with the bust over the weekend, Jaquez Sturgis has been arrested and charged with trafficking in methamphetamine and trafficking in fentanyl, with other charges forthcoming, deputies said.
Additional arrests may also be ahead, deputies said.
“Our goal is to relentlessly pursue those who poison our neighborhoods with these deadly substances,” Sheriff Eugene Brantley said. “I could not be prouder of the tireless efforts of our investigators and every deputy involved in this operation.”
2 teens charged in Augusta shooting incident that injured 2
Two teens have been charged after a shooting incident in the Harrisburg area that left two people injured on Sunday night, according to the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Anyone with further information is urged to call 706-821-1400 or submit tips anonymously through the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office app or Crime Stoppers.
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