HALL COUNTY, Ga. — A wanted fugitive from Wednesday’s Oct. 1 search warrant operation in Stephens County is in custody.
43-year-old Quincy Jones of Toccoa was arrested in Hall County after a multi-agency hunt that stretched across northeast Georgia and metro Atlanta, the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office says. Investigators say Jones is a major player in the Manathan Colbert drug trafficking organization.
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Tracking him down
The Stephens County Sheriff’s Office says following the October 1 sweep, Jones fled Stephens County in an attempt to avoid capture. Law enforcement teams traced his movements through northeast Georgia into metro Atlanta, where they found his vehicle.
“After his vehicle was located in DeKalb County, agents continued their coordinated efforts to pinpoint his location. The investigation ultimately revealed that Jones had left DeKalb County and was hiding in Hall County,” a sheriff’s office news release states.
On Friday, October 3, Georgia State Patrol troopers stopped a vehicle on I-985 southbound and found Jones in the driver’s seat. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Hall County Jail.
Authorities say Jones faces multiple counts, including:
- violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO)
- illegal use of a communication facility
- violation of the Georgia Street Gang and Terrorism Prevention Act
- trafficking marijuana
- possession of a firearm by a convicted felon
- possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony
Multi-agency takedown
Earlier, authorities arrested 20 people in Atlanta, Stephens, Habersham, and Banks counties in connection with their investigation into the alleged Colbert DTO. At least 19 federal agencies assisted with the operation throughout the week. They include the Atlanta Police Department, Banks County Sheriff’s Office, Cornelia Police Department, DeKalb County Police Department, FBI Atlanta, FBI Athens Middle Georgia Safe Streets Gang Task Force / FBI Safe Streets Task Force, FBI North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force, Flowery Branch Police Department, Gainesville Police Department, GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), GBI Metro Gang Task Force, Georgia Counterdrug Task Force, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, Georgia State Patrol (including Crime Suppression Unit, North Nighthawks, and Posts 6 & 51), Habersham County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, and Toccoa Police Department.
“We anticipate more arrests in connection with the Colbert DTO as this investigation continues,” said Stephens County investigators.
If you have any information regarding drug or gang activity, authorities encourage you to contact the GBI at 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app. You may also contact your local law enforcement agencies.
