4 indicted on federal charges in Bulloch Co. drug trafficking conspiracy

Citizen complaints led to discovery of operation distributing meth

Four people have been indicted on federal charges for running a methamphetamine distribution ring throughout Bulloch County.

The indictment, returned by a grand jury in U.S. District Court, charges the four – Clifton Pittman, 50, of Reidsville, Ga.; Hope Mitchell, 44, of Reidsville; Clarence Johnson, 55, of Statesboro; and Joy Leigh Horton, 36, of Savannah – with Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute and to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, and Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. If convicted, the defendants face possible sentences of up to life in prison.

“Of all our partners in law enforcement, a community’s citizens often are the most helpful,” said U.S. Attorney Christine. “Their assistance, as in this case, contributes to safer neighborhoods, and supports the work of law enforcement agencies in removing bad elements.”

After receiving multiple complaints from area residents, the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office Crime Suppression Team visited a home where they observed suspected evidence of drug activity. After subsequently serving a search warrant at the residence, investigators seized kilos of methamphetamine and paraphernalia for drug distribution and consumption.

“These traffickers can no longer deliver dangerous drugs on the streets,” said Robert J. Murphy, the Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “The collective law enforcement cooperation and the subsequent prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office made this investigation a success.”

Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by U.S. Attorneys Marcela C. Mateo and Frank M. Pennington II.