SOUTH FULTON, Ga. — Two raids this week led officers to a major meth operation. City of South Fulton police said a man put others in danger as he made 77 pounds of meth inside one of those buildings.
Officers said the raid uncovered another disturbing crime: Investigators found the meth in a barn full of birds tied to cockfighting.
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Only Channel 2 investigative reporter Mark Winne got video of the drugs and details of the bust.
“I’m really proud of the performance of our people. They were able to uncover this meth lab, actually bust it and shut it down,” South Fulton Police Chief Keith Meadows said.
Police seized 77 pounds of meth by working with Homeland Security Investigation agents. South Fulton police Lt. S. McKesey said the operation is connected to a cartel based in Mexico.
“We’re saving a lot of lives,” she told Winne. “It’s a big win for the city of South Fulton that we’re able to get this amount off of the streets.”
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McKesey said her team and HSI agents arrived at the property on Stonewall Tell Road to find evidence of a cockfighting operation and the meth.
“We actually had the location on Stonewall Tell Road under our radar for a while, but it was a great partnership between federal and local jurisdictions.”
The lieutenant said investigations next hit a house off Westbrook Road in Union City, which is owned by 59-year-old Isidoro Palacios. Investigators said he also rented the Stonewall Tell property, where they found some of the meth in the barn with the birds.
At the house on Westbrook, investigators found the motherload of meth with a lab replete with four clothes dryers, drying racks and more used to make meth.
“It was extremely dangerous to the community and to the neighborhood and we’re glad that we actually found it when we did,” McKesey said.
McKesey said that Palacios is locked up in Fulton County Jail on a meth trafficking charge. She said police found a stolen shotgun and stolen car at the Stonewall Tell property.
“The city of South Fulton has the most undeveloped land in the region and it’s easy for people to try and exploit that,” Meadows said. “We’re right here near our airport and so when you have major interstates running through our city, being able to do traffic interdiction is extremely important.”
The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office said that Palacios declined to be interviewed by Channel 2 Action News.
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