ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — A major drug bust in Rockdale County on Wednesday afternoon took more than 10 pounds of heroin off the streets.
Investigators said undercover deputies with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office convinced the sellers to meet them in a Walmart parking lot to make a deal.
“Our undercover guys moved in, took these guys down, without any incidents at all,” said Michael Myers, with the Sheriff’s Office.
At that time, authorities recovered nearly 5 kilos of heroin, with a street value of more than $1.5 million.
"I'm just happy that we can live in a safe community," one shopper told Channel 2's Matt Johnson.
The shopper never thought the parking lot would be the scene of a major drug bust.
“You hear about this stuff happening off and on but something that large is quite terrifying,” the shopper said.
Luis Ramirez-Jaramillo and Marco Valdez were arrested during the bust. Both men face charges of trafficking heroin.
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After the arrests, deputies went to a home in Conyers where, they said, they recovered an undisclosed amount of drug money.
The bust was part of a new Sheriff’s Office Surge Team, which is a collaborative effort with local and federal law enforcement agencies.
“Each day, these men women get up every day with the sole purpose of cleaning up our community,” Myers said,
Myers said with the spike in heroin/fentanyl cocktails, deputies had to handle the seized drugs with caution.
“You can’t take any chances with it, so our guys handled it very carefully, wore masks wore gloves to get it where it needed to be,” Myers told Johnson.
Myers said he hope the arrest will send a message to drug dealers.
“We’re not going to let it be a problem in Rockdale County. We’re going to make sure people understand this isn’t the place to do any crimes at all,” Myers said.