Feds Charge Oconee County Man with Drug and Weapon Violations

An Oconee County man is one of 23 defendants, most with ties to the Outlaw Motorcycle Club in Georgia and its affiliated clubs, who have been charged with federal drug and gun offenses arising from a undercover investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Twenty-one were arrested Thursday and the FBI executed seven search warrants at the Outlaw Motorcycle Club clubhouse on Cascade Road in Southwest Georgia; the Hoodlums Motorcycle Club headquarters on South Waterworks Road in Buford, Georgia; and the residences of several defendants.

The Oconee County Sheriff's Office .

Winfred Turner, a/k/a “Outlaw Bubba,” 61, of Watkinsville is charged with cocaine conspiracy, aiding and abetting the possession of cocaine with intent to distribute it, and using and carrying firearms during the commission of a drug trafficking crime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The news release stated that criminal charges all relate to acts by individuals or small groups of individuals and do not allege that any of the criminal acts were performed on behalf of the motorcycle gangs or as an official part of membership in the gangs.

In his initial appearance before Magistrate Judge Cole Thursday, the government asked for Turner and 20 others to be held without bond, and Judge Cole scheduled detention hearings for these defendants on August 21 and 23.

This case is being investigated by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the North Georgia Major Offenders Task Force, which is composed of the law enforcement officials from the FBI, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Gainesville Police Department, Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, and Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the White County Sheriff’s Office provided significant assistance in the investigation.

“All but two of the defendants charged in this investigation have direct ties to the Outlaw Motorcycle Club or other motorcycle clubs that are affiliated with and controlled by the Outlaws,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates in a released statement. “The charges unsealed today allege that these motorcycle club members engaged in substantial drug trafficKing and weapons offenses. This case is a big step forward in maKing sure that these groups don’t threaten the safety of our North Georgia communities.”

Brian D. Lamkin, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office, stated: “Today’s arrests of the numerous members of the Outlaw Motorcycle Club and those of several of its affiliate clubs represents the unified efforts of our region’s law enforcement in addressing a serious and very structured crime problem. The Outlaw Motorcycle Club, its affiliate clubs, and its membership are not above nor beyond the law and today’s arrests, the culmination of a two-year intensive investigation, should serve as clear evidence of that.”

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