ATLANTA, Ga. – On Tuesday, federal authorities said they seized enough fentanyl in a recent drug bust to kill 48 million people. That’s more than four times the population of Georgia.

Authorities say it’s the largest fentanyl bust in Georgia history.

After searching three homes – one each in Atlanta, South Fulton and Douglasville – agents say they found more than 200 pounds of the fentanyl, along with hundreds of thousands of pills laced with methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and marijuana.

They also found machines that produced pills and “bricks” of drugs, approximately 30 firearms, bullet-proof vests, a silencer, and expensive jewelry including a Walter White diamond necklace. White is the fictional meth-making protagonist in the hit TV series “Breaking Bad.”

Authorities say the properties are all “associated” with Bartholomew Keeton Harralson, 47, of Atlanta. He’s a convicted felon who is now facing federal drug trafficking charges in the case. He was arrested at his South Fulton home.

On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted Harralson on charges of possession with the intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Authorities said Harralson’s operation had the ability to produce 25,000 pills an hour.

Agents also found a book during one of the seizures titled “How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy and Firearms Charges.”

“The scale of this fentanyl operation—run by a convicted felon—posed a grave threat to our community,” Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said in a statement. “The presence of high-powered firearms alongside industrial pill-pressing equipment underscores the deadly convergence of drug trafficking and violence. The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to dismantling these operations and holding dangerous individuals accountable.”

Harralson has a long and violent criminal history in Florida and Georgia, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, drug dealing, and other crimes.

When asked if Harralson is connected to a cartel, investigators said they couldn’t comment on that aspect of the ongoing investigation. Authorities said they expect more people to be charged in the drug operation who were working with Harralson.

If convicted, Harralson will serve at least 40 years in prison, and possibly life without parole.

Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

Karl John Dunker died on Sunday, June 8, 2025. He was born in New Jersey in 1941, the elder child of Egbert and Erna (Dugroo) Dunker. He graduated with a B.A. from Concordia Senior College, Fort Wayne IN in 1962 and from Concordia Seminary, Springfield IL (B.D. in 1966, MDiv. in 1971). While serving his seminary internship in Clovis CA, he met and married Johnetta LaVon (“Vonnie”) Bigham. Before coming to Augusta, he served parishes in Bedford and Anderson IN.

He served as Pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church from 1977 until his retirement in 2006. He was active in the University Hospital Clergy Staff and Associate Chaplains Program, and also served for more than a decade on the Shepeard Blood Center Board of Directors. He “served the Lord with gladness” as counselor to the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League on local, zone, and district levels. He served as Circuit Counselor for the East Central Georgia Circuit of the Florida-Georgia District LCMS. Since 2009, he served Our Redeemer as its Pastor Emeritus.

Karl was preceded in death by his wife, LaVon; two children: Matthias Charles Dunker and Sharon Dunker; a grandson, Alton Henry Rau III; and a great-grandson, Nathanial Rau. He is survived by his daughter, Susan (Patrick) Paulett of Trenton SC; his son, Jonathan Michael Dunker of Augusta GA; three grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; his step-son, Sean (Melody) Quinn of Squaw Valley CA; and his brother, John Dunker of Floyds Knobs, IN.

A memorial service will be held at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Tuesday, June 17, 2025 at 1:00 P.M. with Rev. Roger Schwartz officiating. Interment will be in Jones Chapel United Methodist Church Cemetery, Athens TN at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to The Professional Church Worker Scholarship Fund of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 402 Aumond Road, Augusta GA 30909, or to a charity of your choice.

Thomas Poteet & Son, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – As part of an effort to beautify Augusta, city leaders launched the Operation City Clean-up initiative on Saturday.

The Mayor’s Office collaborated with the sheriff’s office and other city departments in the Harrisburg corridor early Saturday to clean up trash and debris in the area.

The initiative aims to keep public spaces clean, such as parks, streets and parking lots, to create a welcome environment for the community.

The sheriff’s office believes that it may help deter people from littering.

“[I] might have people that might ride by throwing trash out in the car, you know, cans and stuff out the car. And that builds up,” said Omar Rouse, Captain of Richmond County Sheriff’s office. “So, what happens is if someone is riding down the road and they see [a] couple litter on the road, there’s nothing stopping them [from] saying ‘Oh, it’s already there. I might as well add to it.’ So, if they don’t see it, it’s kind of like a broken window there. They don’t see it, you know, they’re less likely going to throw trash out the windows.”

The Operation City Clean Up initiative also offers community service opportunities, which allow volunteers to receive double the volunteer hours they work.

If you would like to participate, you can meet the team at 400 Walton Way each Saturday, starting at 7:45 a.m. The cleanup efforts will last until noon.

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