The GBI is releasing new details on Operation Rolling Hills, a drug bust that netted the arrests of seven suspects from White and Hall counties: state drug agents, working with Georgia State Troopers and the sheriff’s offices in Hall, White, and Lumpkin counties, say the men and women from Cleveland and Gainesville were trafficking methamphetamine. They’re also facing firearms charges. They were booked into jails in Hall and White counties.
From the GBI…
Following a joint drug investigation in White and Hall Counties by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, White County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol, several people were arrested:
§ Dwayne Beck, age 42, of Cleveland, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
§ Ashley Ingram, age 32, of Gainesville, GA (booked into the Hall County Detention Center)
§ Christopher Lee Frazier, age 36, of Cleveland, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
§ Siarrah Ferrar, age 31, of Gainesville, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
§ Mashelia Martin, age 54, of Cleveland, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
§ Preston Lee Esco, age 36, of Cleveland, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
§ Michael Anthony Jones, age 36, of Cleveland, GA (booked into the White County Detention Center)
On March 22, 2024, Beck was charged with Trafficking Methamphetamine, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Fleeing and Attempting to Elude, and Driving Under the Influence. Ingram was charged with charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, and Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Substance.
On March 27, 2024, Frazier was arrested for Violation of Probation and was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Ferrar was charged with Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Martin was charged with Simple Battery. Esco was arrested for Violation of Probation. Jones was arrested for Failure to Appear.
Between the dates of March 22, 2024, and March 27, 2024, the GBI Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, with assistance from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office, White County Sheriff’s Office, and the Georgia State Patrol, executed several arrest warrants and search warrants in Hall County and White County. The GBI received information that Beck had active arrest warrants and was trafficking Methamphetamine. After further investigation, on March 22, 2024, law enforcement located Beck in White County and after a short car chase, arrested him for his warrants. After his arrest, investigators found that Beck possessed suspected methamphetamine and a firearm.
As the investigation continued, search warrants were executed at a home in Gainesville and a home in Cleveland. Ingram was arrested at the home in Gainesville.
On March 27, 2024, Frazier, Ferrar, and Martin, were arrested at the home in Cleveland.
Esco and Jones were also later arrested at a home in Cleveland.
Multiple agencies conducted this investigation to make an impact on the current street level drug distribution within White County and Hall County and promote a safer place for productive citizens.
GBI ARDEO needs assistance. If you have information related to drug activity, you are encouraged to call GBI ARDEO at (706) 348-7410. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
The Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office is a multi-agency unit that covers 30 counties in North Georgia and consists of the following Sheriff’s Offices and Police Agencies: White County, Lumpkin County, Banks County, Jackson County, Habersham County, Stephens County, Rabun County, Franklin County, Gilmer County, Fannin County, the Cleveland Police Department and the Toccoa Police Department, along with the Georgia National Guard Counter Drug Task Force, the Georgia State Patrol, Georgia Department of Community Supervision, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.