Multi-Agency Operation Dismantles Major Hall County Drug Ring

The GBI has arrested and charged Jacques Latron Franks, age 41, of Gainesville, GA, and Monique Renee Burton, age 32, of Gainesville, GA, with Trafficking Fentanyl and Sale of Fentanyl following a multi-agency operation in Hall County, GA. The operation targeted a drug trafficking organization (DTO) allegedly responsible for distributing significant quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and methamphetamine throughout North Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office (ARDEO), in collaboration with local and federal partners, executed multiple search and arrest warrants across Hall County. The operation aimed to disrupt a distribution network identified as a major source of narcotics in the region. During the operation, law enforcement seized approximately five pounds of suspected fentanyl, one pound of suspected marijuana, and 14 grams of suspected crack cocaine.

Franks and Burton were arrested on April 23, 2026, and were booked into the Hall County Jail.

The investigation involved a high level of cooperation between various departments. The Gainesville Police Department, Georgia State Patrol, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Violent Gangs Task Force, FBI North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force, the GBI Metro Atlanta Gang Task Force, and the United States Attorney’s Office participated in the operation.

The investigation is active and ongoing. Additional charges are expected. 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 ARDEO 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, the Flowery Branch 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.