Large Amount of Drugs Seized in South Georgia Investigation

Tift County, GA (May 27, 2022) – On Friday, May 20, 2022, members of the GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office, Tift County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia State Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) arrested Jose Luis Pena-Ferraras, age 35 and Ismil Rodriguez-Aybar, age 43, both of Lawrenceville, GA, after the seizure of five kilograms of methamphetamine, one kilogram of heroin, and a handgun. 

Ferraras and Aybar were arrested in the parking lot of a hotel in Tifton, GA, and charged with trafficking methamphetamine and heroin. Ferraras was also charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony. A search of their vehicle led to the seizures.

Based on a lengthy investigation, Ferraras and Aybar were identified as suppling methamphetamine and heroin to multiple communities in South Georgia, to include Tifton and Albany.

The GBI Southwestern Regional Drug Enforcement Office is in Albany, Georgia and services 42 counties in Southwest Georgia. The office is a collaborative effort between the GBI, the Albany Police Department, the Dougherty County Sheriff’s Office, the Dougherty County Police Department, the Dougherty County District Attorney’s Office, and the Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office, and is partially funded with Byrne/JAG grant funds.

Tips can also be submitted to the GBI by calling 1-800-597-TIPS(8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.