Perhaps at least some heroin and methamphetamines will now likely be off Georgia streets. In what Cherokee County law enforcement described as the county’s “biggest heroin bust ever,” on February 9, Edward “Jay” Lionel Ball, 40, was convicted for distribution of methamphetamine, distribution of heroin, trafficking heroin, manufacturing heroin, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
A few days ago, Ball was “sentenced to 60 years in prison.” Of that sentence, at least 45 years will be served in confinement and the last 15 years will be served on probation. Superior Court Judge David Cannon, Jr. sentenced Ball as a ‘recidivist.’ The ‘recidivist’ term means that Ball is categorized as a convicted criminal “who reoffends.” Therefore, Ball “will be required to serve the entire prison portion of his sentence without the possibility of parole.”
As reported, the Cherokee Multi-Agency Narcotics Squad (CMANS) busted Ball on June 28, 2019. Through a search warrant, “agents say they found nearly a pound of heroin in a baking dish sitting on the stove,” in a house Ball reportedly rented in Kingsgate. The amount of inhalable heroin was so substantial as to be hazardous, requiring officials to continue their search wearing hazmat gear. In addition to the heroin, the CMANS agents claim they also found methamphetamine, scales and baggies used for distribution, handguns, and ammunition.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel Clark, who prosecuted the case, affirmed that Ball’s arrest represented the Cherokee County’s largest heroin “bust.” As reported, “Multiple law enforcement officers testified that they had never in their careers seen that amount of heroin at one time.” Law enforcement personnel claimed that the quantity of heroin confiscated could “supply as many as 5,000 users.”
The Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI) claimed that “amount of heroin found in that home exceeded 245 grams (about 9 ounces) and, as reported, “Only 28 grams (one ounce) are required to receive the highest trafficking charge in Georgia.”
Acting District Attorney Susan K. Treadaway claimed she found “especially egregious that Mr. Ball, who himself does not use drugs, preys on those who do.” Treadway elaborated: “When drug traffickers spread their poison, they fuel the drug crisis and its deadly results on those struggling with addiction.”
