FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office shared video of the moments a drug dealer, accused of being involved in a major drug operation, took off during a traffic stop with deputies.
The video, shared exclusively with Channel 2 Action News showed that during the traffic stop, the suspect left behind some evidence that led deputies to a major drug stash.
Investigators told Channel 2′s Michael Seiden that during their pursuit of Nicholas Dixon, the 30-year-old tossed a backpack out of the window of his vehicle.
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When deputies picked up the bag, they found more than a pound of marijuana inside of it.
After they got to Dixon’s apartment, deputies found something that now has him facing major felony charges. If he’s convicted, Dixon could end up in prison for decades.
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said it all started with a traffic stop on Chappell Road NW at the end of May.
Body camera video shows deputies approach Dixon in his car after pulling him over for driving with his cellphone in his hand.
“Just step out of the car for a second, all right?” a deputy asks on video.
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Instead of complying with the request, Dixon hit the gas and drove away.
According to the sheriff’s office, Dixon is a convicted felon. Now he’s accused of having a role in a major illegal drug operation.
Dixon threw the bag of marijuana out of the vehicle when members of the Fulton County Fugitive Apprehension Support Team, FAST, chased after him.
“He threw out a backpack which contained over a pound of marijuana,” FCSO Investigator Jermaine Moore told Channel 2 Action News.
Deputies tracked his car to his apartment off of Mayson Turner Road in Atlanta, where they served a search warrant and found more than $60,000 of illegal drugs, including MDMA or ecstasy and psychedelic mushrooms.
“Once entry [was] made into the apartment, immediately, I observed illegal drugs in plain view on the kitchen counter. Marijuana and what appeared to be crack cocaine and digital scales,” Moore said.
Among the items seized during the search of Dixon’s apartment, deputies found:
- 25 lbs of suspected marijuana
- 158 grams of suspected crack cocaine
- 91 grams of suspected MDMA
- 30 grams of illegal mushrooms
- 100 Oxycodone pills
- Paraphernalia used to package/distribute drugs
- Glock 19 handgun & American Tactical .223 rifle
Deputies also seized two guns, but Dixon was nowhere to be found, so the sheriff’s office started working leads and analyzing evidence.
Eventually, they found Dixon at his girlfriend’s apartment in Chamblee. On June 5, iPhone video recorded the moment deputies arrested him on multiple drug trafficking charges.
“With narcotics sales come other aggravated violent crimes such as armed robbery, aggravated assaults, home invasions and even murder, so this is a big win for us and even the community,” Moore said.
Friday night, Channel 2 Action News also heard from Fulton County Sheriff Pat Labat.
In a statement, Labat said he was “extremely proud of our team. FAST is serving as a force multiplier throughout Fulton County. By conducting patrols in high crime areas, this team is taking dangerous drugs and illegal guns off the streets. The safety of the community is of utmost importance.”
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