Thread: GA-4 indicted by feds after big Fayette cocaine bust

4 indicted by feds after big Fayette cocaine bust
Fri, 10/16/2009 - 9:14pmBy: Cal Beverly

381 pounds of coke seized after PTC chase in August; drugs were flown in via Falcon Field

Rene Perez, 31, of San Marcos, Texas, Adrian Perez, 23, of San Marcos, Texas, Jorge Olivo, 24, of Roswell, Ga., and Donald Fontana, 68, of Plano, Texas, were arraigned Friday by a United States magistrate judge on felony charges of conspiring to possess, and of possession with the intent to distribute, cocaine that had been couriered by flight from Texas to Falcon Field in Peachtree City, according to a news release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Jorge Olivo was also charged with possessing a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and with being a felon unlawfully in possession of a firearm.

According to Acting United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: On Aug. 29, 2009, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Atlanta received information regarding a plane owned and operated by pilot Donald Fontana that would be arriving that day at Falcon Field airport (KFFC) in Peachtree City, Ga.

Agents observed Fontana land the Cessna aircraft at KFFC and exit with two passengers, later identified as Rene Perez and Adrian Perez. Fontana, Rene Perez, and Adrian Perez then allegedly offloaded six bags from the aircraft.

Agents maintained surveillance as Fontana was dropped off at a local Sleep Inn hotel and Rene Perez and Adrian Perez were dropped off with the six bags, at a local Best Western hotel.

Approximately one hour later, another vehicle arrived at the Best Western hotel driven by a person later identified as Jorge Olivo. Agents observed Olivo and Adrian Perez place the bags seen earlier into the vehicle outside. Olivo then left the hotel area after the bags had been loaded and Peachtree City Police attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle operated by Olivo.

Olivo allegedly observed the marked police car approaching and began to flee the scene at a high rate of speed. After a lengthy chase, Olivo was apprehended and a search of the vehicle revealed several bags containing approximately 173 kilograms (381 pounds) of cocaine. Adrian Perez was arrested after he attempted to flee the Best Western hotel that evening.

Rene Perez, Adrian Perez, Jorge Olivo, and Donald Fontana were indicted by a federal grand jury on Oct. 7, 2009. The indictment charges Rene Perez, Adrian Perez, Jorge Olivo, and Donald Fontana with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine, and one count of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

The indictment also charges Jorge Olivo with one count of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and with one count of being a felon unlawfully in possession of a firearm. The indictment also includes a forfeiture provision, seeking to forfeit a Cessna 421-C airplane and a Colt .38 caliber handgun.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the governments burden to prove the defendants guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by Special Agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Fayette County Sheriffs Department, and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office and the Fayette County District Attorneys Office.

Assistant United States Attorneys David E. Suchar and Kurt R. Erskine are prosecuting the case.

This case demonstrates that even the quiet suburbs of Atlanta can be directly impacted by the illicit business conducted by Mexican based criminal organizations, said Kenneth A. Smith, Special Agent in Charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Atlanta. “We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to counter this type of activity and we are very appreciative of the support that they have given us in this particular case.â€

there is a reason atlanta is the distribution hub for the east coast of the US

I lived in this area when Peachtree City was first designed and built as a planned community in the early 1970's by a resident Georgian while he still was an architecture student at Georgia Tech. He arranged all the funding himself. It included homes from "upscale condominiums" for financially comfortable retirees to family homes to smaller two bedroom homes for less affluent couples, families, and senior citizens. While Peachtree City featured a Country Club for those who wished to join and family recreation facilities for all, the builder also constructed at his own expense a new elementary school which he donated to Fayette County without charge with the condition that it would open as a racially integrated school. He and the sales staff also made clear from the beginning that Peachtree City was an "equal opportunity" place to live. While that may sound quaint now, these were landmark actions for places outside of the immediate Atlanta metro area at that time. It's a shame that this talented young man's vision for his lovely "economically and racially mixed" planned community has been infested with the "urban blight" of drugs which people who bought homes in Peachtree City were willing to drive 80 miles round trip to work in Atlanta and home each day to avoid - not to mention those who invested their savings to retire there!