United States Drug Enforcement Administration

Atlanta – Garry Haggins, Jr., a convicted drug dealer who served more than a decade in federal prison, was arraigned earlier today on new charges related to his alleged trafficking of approximately 42 kilograms of methamphetamine.  

 “This case is a clear example of the strength of law enforcement partnerships,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Investigators across agencies worked together to track down a convicted felon facing federal charges for trafficking more than 40 kilograms of methamphetamine. That collaboration was critical to ensuring this defendant could no longer evade justice.”

“Drug trafficking threatens the safety and stability of our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “My office will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to pursue and punish criminals who distribute deadly narcotics.”

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2009, Garry Haggins, Jr. was convicted of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and cocaine base in the Southern District of Florida and was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment. On April 9, 2026, Drug Enforcement Administration agents observed Haggins drive to a parking lot in Ellenwood, Georgia, park next to another vehicle, remove two bags from that vehicle, place those two bags in his vehicle, and quickly depart. Georgia State Patrol troopers later observed Haggins’s vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed. During a subsequent traffic stop, troopers attempted to detain Haggins, but he allegedly resisted and fled the scene, successfully evading capture. A search of Haggins’s vehicle allegedly uncovered approximately 42 kilograms of off-white crystal shards that tested positive for methamphetamine. 

On September 18, 2026, after months as a fugitive, Haggins was arrested in Oklahoma and transferred to federal custody. 

Today, Garry Haggins, Jr., 43, of Thomasville, Georgia, was arraigned in federal court in Atlanta on an indictment that charged him with possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Haggins was ordered detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending further proceedings.

Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with valuable assistance provided by the Georgia State Patrol and the Henry County Police Department. 

Assistant United States Attorney Edward C. Robinson Jr. is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta recommends parents and children learn about the dangers of drugs at the following web site: www.justthinktwice.gov.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.