Athens police make massive gang bust during Operation Tourniquet

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The Athens-Clarke County Police Department, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies stage for Operation Tourniquet on Nov. 19, 2021. (Athens-Clarke County Police Department)

ATHENS, Ga. - Athens-Clarke County Police have arrested 13 suspects in an ongoing FBI Safe Streets Gang Task Force investigation.

Police said they are drug traffickers and violent offenders with ties to metro Atlanta.

Authorities call it Operation Tourniquet and it began in May.

Officers said 37 people have been arrested and charged in the last six months.

Those arrested are:

• Reginald Battle, Sr., 46, of Statham, Georgia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine;

• Quintavious Clark aka Tre Clark, 28, of Athens, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and four counts of distribution of cocaine base and cocaine;

• TaMichael Darden aka T-Mike, 40, of Athens, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, three counts of distribution of cocaine base and one count of distribution of cocaine;

• Mohamed Elnour, 33, of Atlanta, is charged with one count each of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon;

• Daquan Faust aka Cocaine, 29, of Athens, is charged with one count each of illegal possession of a machine gun and one count of possession of a stolen firearm;

• Marqueze Johnson, 25, of Athens, is charged with one count of distribution of cocaine base;

• Tevondous Kinney, 29, of Athens, is charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and two counts of distribution of cocaine base;

• Corey Mitchell aka Murda, 37, of Athens, is charged with one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and distribution of cocaine;

• Hendrex Nicely aka Hen, 32, of Athens, is charged with two counts of distribution of heroin;

• Danny Sims aka Danny Boy, 57, of Hull, Georgia, is charged with one count each of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and possession with intent to distribute cocaine base;

• Miller Sutton, 64, of Winder, Georgia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine;

• Darren Thrasher, 45, of Athens, is charged with three counts of distribution of cocaine base; and,

• Gregory Wade, Sr., 53, of Athens, is charged with one count of distribution of crack cocaine and cocaine.

All of the suspects made their first appearance on Thursday. They are expected back in federal court on Monday for a detention hearing.

Four firearms, nearly seven pounds of marijuana, three ounces of cocaine, more than two ounces of heroin, and nearly $6,500 were seized during Thursday’s operation in Athens.

That is added to the total number of seizures during this operation that include:

• 60 firearms

• $1,036,172

• a land mine

• 13.22 kilograms of powder cocaine (Street Value: $412,000)

• 1.32 kilograms of fentanyl (Street Value: $150,000)

• 12.57 lbs. of crystal methamphetamine (Street Value: $84,000)

• 1.39 kilos of crack cocaine (Street Value: $71,750)

• 25.35 lbs. of marijuana (Street Value: $62,500)

• 11.25 ounces of heroin (Street Value: $28,125)

• 198 dosages of controlled pharmaceuticals (Street Value: ($2,970)

• 113 THC cartridges (Street Value: $2,260)