Four people were arrested on drug charges Monday in Pembroke. The suspects remained in jail Tuesday pending a bond hearing.
Here's what police say happened:
In a collaborative effort between the Pembroke Police Department and the Bryan County Sheriff’s Department, audio and video surveillance was set up at an undisclosed business address on Railroad Street.
An informant was used to set up two separate drug deals. When the suspects allegedly came to the rendezvous point and money changed hands, BCSD deputies and PPD officers moved in for the arrest.
PPD Sgt. Billy Gray, who headed up the sting along with BCSD Sgt. Gary Provost, said each of the four suspects signed confessions shortly after the arrests were made.
According to Gray, the first arrest took place around lunch time on Monday when Pembroke resident Jermaine McKinney, 26, made contact with the police informant. McKinney then allegedly walked into the sting with 3.5 grams of powder cocaine and an undisclosed amount of oxycontin and reportedly sold the cocaine to the informant.
McKinney was arrested and charged with cocaine sales and possession of a controlled substance.
Gray said the other three, all Rincon residents, were arrested together at approximately 3 p.m. Monday. He said 41-year-old Misty Lynn made contact with the informant and brought the boyfriend-girlfriend duo of Isaac and Kimberly Johnson, 27 and 29 respectively, to the rendezvous point to facilitate a drug deal of 3.5 ounces of crack cocaine.
"All four are targets we’ve been watching for a while," Gray said. "This was similar to the Red Dot (last year’s ‘Running Every Drug Dealer Outta Town’ sting that netted 13 arrests) because it’s another of those busts that take one day to complete but have countless hours of surveillance and investigation leading up to that day. We believe these individuals have been dealing drugs in Bryan as well as surrounding areas."
In an unrelated drug case, a joint effort between BCSD and the Chatham Counter Narcotics Team led to the arrest of what Provosts believes to be "the ecstasy supplier for the entire area" on Jan. 3 at the Wal-Mart on Hwy. 17.
Provost said Noah Geiger, a 26-year-old Savannah man who lives near the Bryan line in a trailer park on Quacco Road, was arrested after a month-long investigation that included several drug deals under surveillance, including one in Richmond Hill.
Provost said Geiger is being charged with three counts of selling ecstasy, drug trafficking and is awaiting word to see if federal charges will also come into play.
Provost said if you suspect drug activity in your area call BCSD at 653-3800 or the CNT at 800-466-6806.