Over 5.5 pounds of fentanyl have been taken off the streets of Richmond County following a months-long narcotics investigation that ended in two major drug busts and multiple felony charges.
Authorities say the amount of fentanyl seized of over 2,500 grams is enough to cause more than 1.25 million potentially fatal overdoses.
The investigation, led by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Division, began in August 2024 and focused on a trafficking network allegedly run by Tyriquez McFadden in the Augusta area.
On October 24, 2024, investigators executed a search warrant at McFadden’s home on the 1700 block of Morgan Street. McFadden was not present during the search, but deputies seized 3.30 pounds of fentanyl, along with heroin, cocaine, marijuana, prescription pills, nine firearms, and nearly $20,000 in cash.
Nearly a year later, on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025, investigators served another search warrant, this time at a home on Redoubt Circle. Inside, they found McFadden and another suspect, Nichael Lessey, who briefly attempted to barricade themselves before being detained. Deputies recovered an additional 2.28 pounds of fentanyl, nearly half a pound of cocaine, one firearm, and more than $23,000 in cash.
McFadden now faces multiple charges, including trafficking in fentanyl and cocaine, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Lessey has been charged with trafficking in fentanyl and cocaine.
Sheriff Eugene Brantley underscored the severity of the threat fentanyl poses, stating that just two milligrams of the drug can be fatal. He said the amount recovered in the investigation was enough to endanger the lives of every man, woman, and child in Richmond County several times over.
“This is poison,” Brantley said. “Let me be clear: if you peddle drugs in Richmond County, we are coming for you. We will continue to work with our partners in the judicial system to ensure those who poison our community are removed from our streets and held accountable.”
McFadden is a convicted felon with a lengthy criminal record of arrests for drug dealing, obstruction and weapon offenses. He once got a five-year prison sentence for drugs in 2009, but he was paroled after serving 10 months.
The 38-year-old suspect was quickly arrested the next year and charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, reckless conduct, obstruction, hit and run, and more. But prosecutors dropped the serious felony charges, and Superior Court Judge Daniel Craig sentenced him to 10 days in jail and five years of probation on lesser charges of obstruction and fleeing police.
In 2021, McFadden was again found with a gun and was charged with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon as well as carrying weapons on school grounds, obstruction and more. Four years later, those charges sit unresolved in court with delay and delay after delay.
