A lengthy investigation by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office busted nearly two dozen people who investigators believe helped distribute drugs in Central Texas.
The investigation, called Operation Ice Storm, lasted well over a year and focused primarily on targeting methamphetamine suppliers doing business in Hamilton County. During the operation, investigators found the majority of the county's meth was coming from nearby counties including: Coryell, McLennan, Tarrant, Travis and Bell.
Undercover officers infiltrated the distribution chain, positioning themselves to deal directly with distributors. The overall goal was to target larger-scale meth dealers -- not street-level dealers.
Even though the case focused on meth, investigators realized during the operation that black tar heroin was also being transported to the City of Hamilton, where it was peddled out of a since-closed Bush's Chicken drive thru, according to the sheriff's office. During the investigation, authorities said they also found out that several of the suspects were actual or self-proclaimed members of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas -- classified as a criminal street gang.
On Feb. 15, the Narcotics Unit obtained 24 felony warrants for 20 suspects, and law enforcement agencies -- including the Coryell County Sheriff's Office -- worked together to round them up. The 20 people were arrested for felony delivery of a controlled substance. The sheriff's office said the vast majority of them faced up to 99 years in prison if convicted on the charges against them.
“When running for Office the drug issues in our County were a hot topic," Hamilton County Sheriff Justin Caraway wrote in a statement on Facebook. "We knew we had to do something to send a message that type of behavior would not be tolerated in our community! This is the first set of Defendants in our ongoing narcotics operation in and around Hamilton County. Let the record show, if you choose to peddle your poison in our county, we will hunt you down and work to prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law! OUR COMMUNITY and OUR CHILDREN are worth the fight!”
While serving the warrants for the first 20 people, law enforcement found meth, marijuana, digital scales and drug paraphernalia in plain sight at two different residences. During the round-up, three more people were arrested and sent to the Coryell County Jail for possession of a controlled substance -- bringing the total number of people arrested to 23.
