Carroll County’s ‘aggressive crime unit’ takes down suspected fentanyl, meth trafficking operation

CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A team of law enforcement agencies in Carroll County arrested two people they say were involved in trafficking meth, fentanyl, and other dangerous drugs.

The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office said the county’s interdepartmental Aggressive Crime Unit, or ACE, recovered about a kilo and a half of meth and 2.5 ounces of fentanyl among other substances from 29-year-old Tabitha Paige’s home in Old Town Rd. in Villa Rica last week.

A spokesperson said the ACE nit secured a warrant, then saw her in a car and pulled her over with 30-year-old Jacob Bates sitting next to her.

"The passenger did throw our gun out of the window," said Ashley Hulsey, a spokesperson for the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.  "We just have to always be careful and proceed with caution and obviously in all situations, but especially when we know we’re dealing with dangerous drugs involved."

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Tabitha Paige (Carroll County Sheriff's Office)

Deputies say they found that gun he tossed, and another was recovered.

On top of the meth and fentanyl, they say they also found suspected cocaine, molly, and Xanax.

Paige was charged with trafficking fentanyl, trafficking methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute alprazolam, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute MDMA, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. 

Bates, age 30 of Carrollton, was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and a violation of a parole warrant. 

Jacob Bates ( Carroll County Sheriff's Office).

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The ACE Unit is a combined group of investigators from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, the Carrollton Police Department, and the University of West Georgia Police Department who focus on narcotic, criminal street gang, and violent crime investigations.

They say they started investigating after a tip from a vigilant member of the community.

"Citizens call, they complain about homes in the neighborhood or on the street when they say heavy traffic areas or a suspected dope house," Hulsey said. "They come and this allows us to immediately respond to that location."

As fentanyl overdoses skyrocket, sheriff’s deputies say their work is far from over.

Compared to this time last year, the latest data from the Department of Public Health shows a nearly 88 percent jump in emergency department visits involving fentanyl overdoses.

FOX 5 has reported about several teens who have unwittingly taken it and died.

"We want to clean up our community," Hulsey said. "We want to take care of our youth, and we also want to educate everyone on how dangerous this drug is. You don’t know what you’re putting into your body and, unfortunately, the death count keeps rising."

Both Paige and Bates remained incarcerated at the Carroll County Jail on Thursday evening, according to jail records.