The FBI has arrested 46 former Department of Corrections officer and now after a long two-year undercover operation named "Ghost Guard." The arrest took place at nine correctional facilities in Georgia on Thursday morning. Five of the 46 arrested by FBI officers are members of the "Cobra unit," the elite squad that aims busting drug deals in jail. The rest of the office arrested linesman who have direct contact with inmates Georgia.
FBI office entered the nine Georgia jail shakedown around dawn Thursday in what was described as part of a statue of corruption in the history of Georgia correction, if not the largest, reported WSBTV.
US Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia John Horn has voiced concern about the 46 officers arrested.
"It's really disturbing that so many corrections officers from across Georgia can be so willing to sell their oath, to sell their badges for personal gain," he said.
46 officers, along with two civilians and one prisoner, had been arrested for smuggling contraband including mobile phones, liquor, weapons and drugs into the prison. According to CNN trade involving guards said to include several kilos of cocaine and meth in exchange for thousands of dollars in bribes. 46 officers arrested accused of giving drugs outside the correction facility in what is called "staggering corruption in the Georgia Department of Corrections institution," said Horn.
46 officers have been arrested in the nine Georgia Correctional Facility [Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images]
The prisoners used smuggled contraband, especially mobile phones, to commit money laundering, identity theft and wire fraud on the inside wall of the facility '. Britt Johnson, a special agent in charge of the Atlanta FBI office, told CNN that the phones being smuggled into prisons is a major problem which creates a major challenge for law enforcement.
"Once you pursue, arrest and prosecute criminals and put them away for life, and they continue to direct the crime on the streets of their prison cell ... when an inmate can reach beyond the walls of the prison and threatened and intimidated witnesses and prosecutors, the breakdown of the system justice, "he said. Johnson also called mobile phones smuggled into prison hostage incident as an excuse to Atlanta in 2014.
46 officers arrested in a crackdown on mobile phone
Mobile phones were smuggled into Georgia correctional by 46 officers arrested. [Photo by Contributor / Getty Images]
The operation that began in May 2014, saw 46 office arrested as part of the crackdown focused on the elimination continue to use cell phones in prison. Georgia Department of Corrections Commission, Homer Bryson, saying he wanted a background check that is better for all prison workers.
Assistant Commissioner Timothy Ward agreed that cell phones were smuggled cause major problems in the penitentiary.
"This war on the phone, we take very seriously and we will continue to eradicate the phone and all the corruption in the state of Georgia in the prison system," he said.
Thursday bust is part of an investigation into public corruption is greater in Georgia Corrections. The FBI, in cooperation with the Georgia Department of Corrections, was able to obtain information from the corruption in the correction facility during their two-year investigation, which cost nearly $ 1 million, by agents posing as members of a Mexican cartel.
46 officers arrested in Georgia
46 at nine correctional officers arrested in Georgia during the operation 'Ghost Guard [Photo by Peter MacDiarmid / Getty Images]
46 officers were arrested along with two civilians and one prisoner is expected to go before a federal judge on Thursday. While they await trial, they have been handed over to federal marshals at an undisclosed location in Georgia.
