Fifteen people now face felony charges after Washington County authorities say they dismantled a methamphetamine pipeline that ran from North Georgia and the Atlanta area straight into the Florida Panhandle. Sheriff Kevin Crews stood before cameras this week to announce the results of a long-running investigation he says targeted one of the most significant drug networks the rural county has ever confronted.
The case, dubbed Operation King of the Hill, began in March 2025 as a joint effort between the Washington County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, according to Wiregrass Daily News. Investigators say the operation set out to trace a methamphetamine supply chain stretching from North Georgia into eastern and central Washington County, and it took roughly a year and a half of surveillance, evidence-gathering, and cooperating witness statements before arrests followed.
At the center of the local distribution network, investigators say, were Wendy Holloway and Issac Noss, whom authorities determined trafficked an estimated 50 to 70 pounds of methamphetamine into the county between March 2025 and June 2026, per the same account. That volume assessment, officials say, came together through physical surveillance, physical evidence, and statements from cooperating witnesses rather than a single seizure.
A Highway Stop Ties the Case Together
The clearest physical link between the local suppliers and their out-of-state source came on June 8, 2026, when Florida Highway Patrol troopers stopped a vehicle carrying Holloway and Noss as they returned from Georgia. An FHP narcotics K-9 alerted on the vehicle, and troopers seized approximately three pounds of methamphetamine inside, the report notes. The stop was initiated based on investigative intelligence the Washington County Sheriff's Office had gathered over the course of the probe.
Investigators went further up the chain than most rural narcotics cases typically reach. According to the Washington County Sheriff's Office, authorities identified Tekoa Ross and Edgar Soto as the primary North Georgia sources of supply, using physical surveillance conducted by the DEA alongside investigative support from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Reaching warrants against out-of-state supply sources is rare in narcotics probes run out of a county the size of Washington.
Sheriff Calls It a Historic Case
Sheriff Crews told reporters at the news conference that Operation King of the Hill likely represents the largest methamphetamine investigation in Washington County history, according to Wiregrass Daily News. He noted that law enforcement rarely gets the chance to work all the way up a network to its main supply source, making this case notable beyond its scale alone.
The announcement drew attention well above the county level. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and representatives from the Office of State Attorney for the 14th Judicial Circuit joined Washington County officials for the announcement, as reported by the St. Petersburg Daily. The 14th Judicial Circuit oversees criminal prosecutions across six Northwest Florida counties, including Washington County. DEA Tampa Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar also attended the press conference to show his support, according to a post from the DEA's Miami field division, DEAMiami, on social media.
Washington County Sheriff Kevin Crews delivers remarks at a press conference to discuss 15 felony arrests for methamphetamine trafficking throughout the Florida Panhandle and parts of Georgia. DEA Tampa Special Agent in Charge Daniel Escobar (r) attends to show his support.
— DEA Miami (@DEAMIAMIDIV) September 12, 2026
What the 15 Defendants Could Face
The stakes for those charged are steep under Florida law. Trafficking 200 grams or more of methamphetamine is a first-degree felony under Florida Statute Section 893.135, carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in state prison along with a mandatory $250,000 fine, according to Hanlon Law. Florida's trafficking statute sets escalating mandatory minimums starting at just 14 grams, meaning even smaller quantities carry years of required prison time.
This is not the first large-scale narcotics push out of the sheriff's office. In October 2025, the Washington County Drug Task Force wrapped up a multi-month undercover operation that led to felony arrest warrants for 13 people accused of selling methamphetamine, cocaine, and prescription medications, per the Washington County Sheriff's Office. That task force operates as a joint effort between the sheriff's office and the Chipley Police Department.
A Sheriff With Decades on the Job
Sheriff Crews brings a long local law enforcement résumé to the announcement. He began his career with the Chipley Police Department in 1991 and has served as elected Sheriff of Washington County since 2016, winning re-election in both 2020 and 2024, according to the Florida Sheriffs Association.
The bust also fits into a broader pattern of heavy drug interdiction along Florida Panhandle highway corridors. In March 2026, law enforcement in neighboring Walton County seized more than 116 grams of methamphetamine and fentanyl following a high-speed vehicle pursuit near DeFuniak Springs, reflecting how rural Panhandle highways continue to serve as major transit routes for narcotics moving into Florida from neighboring states.
