A convicted felon in Atlanta allegedly ran a pill pressing operation capable of producing 25,000 fentanyl pills per hour – enough to kill millions of Georgia residents.
💊 Why It Matters: The massive drug operation posed an immediate danger to communities across Georgia. Authorities seized enough fentanyl to potentially kill millions of people, along with industrial pill presses and 28 firearms.
🚨 What’s Happening: Bartholomew Keeton Harralson, 47, faces federal charges after authorities raided two properties and discovered an industrial-scale drug operation:
“This armed felon allegedly ran a massive fentanyl pill pressing operation in our community, producing enough deadly fentanyl to potentially kill millions of people,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg.
🔍 Between the Lines: The scale of the operation was staggering. Agents found:
- Over 93 kilograms of fentanyl
- 97 kilograms of methamphetamine
- 18 kilograms of heroin
- 10 kilograms of cocaine
- Two pill press machines capable of producing 25,000 pills hourly
- 28 firearms, including a machine gun
- $145,000 in cash
Perhaps most telling: authorities also found a book titled “How to Avoid Federal Drug Conspiracy & Firearms Charges.”
🌐 The Bigger Threat: This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative targeting drug trafficking organizations and violent crime. The combination of industrial drug production and weapons highlights the increasingly dangerous nature of fentanyl operations.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
