ATLANTA – A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Georgia has indicted 47-year-old Bartholomew Keeton Harralson of Atlanta on multiple drug and weapons charges following what authorities describe as one of the largest pill pressing operations uncovered in the state.
What we know:
Harralson, who reportedly has a long, violent history, is facing charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana; possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime; and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He allegedly possessed 28 firearms — including a machine gun — and hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills.
U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg described the operation as potentially deadly.
“Mr. Harrelson now faces federal charges,” said Theodore Hertzberg, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “This drug trafficking operation, has been dismantled and that countless lives have been saved.”
Bartholomew Keeton Harralson. Courtesy of DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office
What they’re saying:
“This was a major drug trafficking operation. The FBI and DEA together seized approximately 750,000 pills,” said Paul Brown Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These pills contained either fentanyl, cocaine, or methamphetamine.”
Authorities executed a federal search warrant on June 5 at Harralson’s southwest Atlanta neighborhood in the high-end Wolf Creek neighborhood. A neighbor’s Ring camera recorded the raid of Harralson’s Atlanta home.
“You see this on TV, you never expect that it will happen in front of your house,” said Kandice Barnett, who lives next to the home in South Fulton that was raided.
Inside, agents found over 56 kilograms of fentanyl, 84 kilograms of methamphetamine, nearly 10 kilograms of heroin, four kilograms of cocaine, nine firearms, $145,000 in cash, and a book titled “How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges.” Harralson was arrested at the scene.
A search at Harralson’s Douglasville property later that day uncovered even more narcotics and equipment, including two industrial pill press machines capable of pressing 25,000 pills per hour, three hydraulic presses, and an additional 37 kilograms of fentanyl. Authorities also recovered over 1,300 pounds of binding agents, hundreds of pill stamp dies, 19 firearms, four drum-style magazines, and large quantities of ammunition.
During a press conference on Tuesday, officials said that the drugs had an approximate street value of $9.2 million and it was the largest fentanyl seizure to date in the state of Georgia.
“This amount of drugs, doesn’t get manufactured in the United States,” said Jae Chung, Action Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division. “So, so in that fashion, yes. He was being supplied by the cartels.”
Dig deeper:
According to the DEA’s website, 2 milligrams of fentanyl, which is a potent synthetic opioid drug, is usually lethal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance and past usage. One kilogram has the potential to kill 500,000 people.
Although overdose deaths have declined in recent years – nearly 24% down in 2024 – it is still a major problem, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44.
Several deaths, including deaths of teenagers, have recently been linked to fentanyl in the state of Georgia.
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What’s next:
If Harralson is convicted of all the charges he is currently facing, he could be sentenced 40 years to life with no chance of parole.
The investigation was led by the FBI and DEA, with assistance from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, South Fulton Police Department, and Douglasville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas M. Forsyth, III is prosecuting the case.
The charges are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting drug cartels and transnational criminal organizations through the Justice Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
