Massive Ecstasy Cache Discovered in Chamblee Home

Federal law enforcement officials seized more than $2.8 million in ecstasy pills from a Chamblee home in October – part of a month-long investigation that led to the arrest of 14 metro Atlanta residents, including a federal agent charged with taking bribes to smuggle guns and drug money through Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The ecstasy seizure was the sixth-largest in U.S. history, officials said. The house, which sits on the western side of DeKalb Peachtree Airport, was raided Oct. 1, and law enforcement officials discovered a cache of about 700,000 ecstasy pills, according to a statement from the U.S. State's Attorney's Office in Georgia. The pills were found in several places throughout the house, including the insulation in the walls and in a crawl space. 

The indictments of the 14 charged were unsealed Thursday. Those arrested included five individuals from Southeast Atlanta, DeKalb County, Snellville and Stone Mountain, U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates said in news conference.

Devon Samuels, the customs officer, was charged with conspiracy to launder drug money, bulk cash smuggling and attempting to bring weapons on airplanes. Samuels, 45, of Stockbridge, and known as "Smokey," was a key target of the investigation dubbed "Operation Rude Beast." He also is charged with conspiracy to commit marraige fraud and making false statements on immigration documents.

The men charged in connection with ecstasy trafficking were named in a second indictment. They are:

• Jerome "Romey" Bushay, 32, of Norcross
• Fnu "Otis" Lnu, age and residence unknown
• Christopher "Yardman" Dixon, 37, of Lithonia
• Mark "Supa" Tomlinson, 36, of Stone Mountain
• Roshaun "Shaun" Hood, 29, of Atlanta
• Curtis "Kurt" Hernandez, 38, of Decatur
• Nigel "Nigel the Barber" Edwards, 33, of Stone Mountain
• Jermaine "Fatman" Campbell, 30, of DeKalb County
• Ricardo "Ricky" Duncan, 27, of Lithonia
• Dave "Scratchy" Grant (aka David Clarke), age unknown, of Lithonia
• Christopher Williams (aka Eric Washington, Bobby, Beagle and Apachee), 33, of Snellville
• Damien "Damage" Aarons, 35, of Covington
• Fnu "Fowley" Lnu, age and place unknown

Bushay and "Otis" ran the ecstasy ring, which also included marijuana trafficking, and many of the others indicted helped distribute the drugs to locations across metro Atlanta and the United States, the statement said.

Samuels was caught in a sting operation that lasted through November. On two occasions, undercover law enforcement agents posing as drug money launderers had Samuels carry more than $70,000 to Jamaica to be given to other undercover agents posing as Jamaican drug dealers.

On a third occasion that month, Samuels also delievered five firearms and $20,000 in alleged drug money to another undercover officer he believed was taking the guns and money to a meeting with Mexican drug lords in Arizona. He used his airport badge to bypass security when taking flights.

Samuels agreed to each deal for $2,000 in cash, the statement said.

The task force included agents from the DeKalb County police, the Internal Revenue Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.