North Georgia drug investigators say they found more than 2 kilograms of methamphetamine and 18 guns during the search of a LaFayette, Georgia, woman's property last week.
Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit Drug Task Force Commander Pat Doyle said 33-year-old Angela Michelle Hughes had at least 1 kilogram of meth inside her home when officers served a warrant Friday morning. They later searched Hughes' storage unit, finding at least one more kilogram in liquid form.
He's not sure how much they found yet. But based on a street value of $300-$500 per ounce of meth, Doyle estimates Hughes had $120,000 worth.
"This is a pretty significant bust," he said.
It's the largest haul the agency has publicly announced since November, when it arrested Todd Lee Harmon and Danyale Renee Cooper with about 3 1/2 kilograms of methamphetamine on James Street in Rossville. Both defendants pleaded guilty this year, with Cooper receiving a 10-year sentence and Harmon a 15-year sentence. Both agreed to pay $200,000 fines.
Doyle said investigators here began looking into Hughes after another law enforcement agency tipped them off about her about six months ago. From there, agents worked with "cooperating sources" and monitored her home, located at 3 Morning Side Drive, east of downtown LaFayette.
Hughes was alone when agents searched the home, Doyle said. They later searched a storage unit off Main Street in LaFayette, where they allegedly found more than one kilogram of liquid meth, along with pots, pans, dishes and camping stoves.
Cartels sometimes ship methamphetamine in liquid form across the U.S.-Mexican border because it's harder for agents to detect it. Once closer to customers, a local supplier will heat up the liquid to evaporate the solvent. This brings the drug to the usual crystal form.
"Kind of like rock candy," Doyle said.
The drug task force charged Hughes with trafficking in methamphetamine, manufacturing a controlled substance with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm with intent to distribute.
The Lookout Mountain Judicial Circuit consists of Catoosa, Chattooga, Dade and Walker counties. An online search of court filings in this region shows no previous drug arrests for Hughes. Neither does a search in Hamilton County. Doyle said he does not know about her criminal history.
However, the drug task force arrested Hughes' parents, Ronald and Cathy Hughes, in June 2016 on a charge of possession of meth with intent to distribute. Doyle said agents made the arrest in the Villanow community.
Their cases are pending in Walker County Superior Court.
Although agents began the investigation of Angela Hughes based on a tip from an outside agency, Doyle expects the case to remain local. By comparison, the agency arrested Randall Scott Rounsaville, allegedly with 4 kilograms of methamphetamine, in a Ringgold home in January 2017. But his case is now part of a criminal conspiracy in the Eastern District of Tennessee, where it is pending.
Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.