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.
How to Read and Understand the News
Truth doesn’t bend because we dislike it.
Facts don’t vanish when they make us uncomfortable.
Events happen whether we accept them or not.
Good reporting challenges us. The press isn’t choosing sides — it’s relaying what official, verified sources say. Blaming reporters for bad news is like blaming a thermometer for a fever.
Americans have a history of misunderstanding simple things. In the 1980s, A&W rolled out a 1/3-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder. It failed because too many people thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If we can botch basic math, we can certainly misread the news.
Before dismissing a story, ask yourself:
- What evidence backs this?
- Am I reacting to facts or feelings?
- What would change my mind?
- Am I just shooting the messenger?
And one more: Am I assuming bias just because I don’t like the story?
Smart news consumers seek truth, not comfort.
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.
