Guns, Money and Drugs
Written by Lauren Hunsberger
Photography by Colin Douglas Gray

Although few people have ever heard of them, about 10 minutes outside of downtown Savannah, a team of elite agents works tirelessly to rid Chatham County of illegal drugs. Aided by cutting-edge technology and a few other unique advantages, it’s no wonder they’re quickly becoming the South’s leaders in law enforcement.

It sounds like a late-night TV drama: A large group of local law enforcement personnel is about to close in on three principle suspects they believe are responsible for orchestrating a large-scale cocaine ring anchored in West Savannah. After several months of conducting intense undercover investigations, employing high-tech surveillance techniques and conducting extensive intel research, they’ve decided it’s time to hit the dealers’ houses and make arrests, starting at the top and working their way down a chain of dealers.

Earlier that day the team gathered, as they do before all their large raids, at the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team (CNT) headquarters, a nondescript yet heavily secured building on Ross Road, where about 45 drug agents, a handful of administrative personnel and two assistant district attorneys make up one of the most technologically advanced, well-trained and unique local drug units in the Southeast. While at the campus, they ran through details of the raid down to the last factor, mapping out where each agent will go and who will be responsible for what. Their surveillance over the previous months has been so effective they know exactly what time the kilos of cocaine are going to arrive at the houses.

That time has now arrived, and sitting in their cars, waiting, they just want to get on with it before their nerves get to them too much. In the minutes just before the suspects and drugs arrive, some of the agents call their spouses and loved ones to say, “I love you,” just in case. Others count the seconds.

And then suddenly, all their plans unravel. Thanks to their surveillance techniques, the team finds out in real time that the three principles aren’t just transporting drugs; today they also happen to have three acquaintances they have kidnapped over a petty theft of some construction tools. As the agents keep gathering information, they learn that without a doubt the dealers are preparing to kill the kidnapped victims. The team now has to quickly transform into a rescue unit, and they have to hit the house with the victims first. On the fly, they make a new plan and split up. The waiting is cut short—it’s time to go.

For the entire story, see the current issue of South Magazine on shelves now at these local retailers.