WSB-TV has reported about the dangerous Ghostface Gangsters gang since 2014.
The gang is significantly involved in trafficking meth.
Unlike almost all other gangs, which originate on the streets and end up in prisons, the Ghostface Gangsters started in the Cobb County Jail and then made their way to the streets.
Ghostface has a rigid hierarchical structure, with rules that members, ironically, pay a lot of attention to.
Exclusive jailhouse interview
In March 2015, members of the gang faced a racketeering indictment. The gang was said to be more than 400 members strong in the state at the time and heavily involved in the drug trade.
I’ve covered Ghostface extensively since at least 2015 when I did this story. For a link to that full report: https://t.co/PQlXcTTJdZ pic.twitter.com/86mEkcCgDq
— Mark Winne (@MarkWinneWSB) February 21, 2020
Patty Green, a grandmother and mother, was in the Newton County Detention Center at the time.
"I'm definitely not a racketeer. I'm not a criminal," Green told WSB-TV.
A district attorney’s office investigator said a racketeering indictment painted Green as a key associate of the Ghostface Gangsters.
Green was released from prison Nov. 15, 2019, and is currently on parole, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections website.
Operation Poltergeist
In May 2017, WSB-TV reported that federal, state and local authorities arrested 13 alleged Ghostface Gangsters or gang associates around the state.
RIGHT NOW: @MarkWinneWSB learning about arrests of 5 people Coweta sheriff says are Ghostface Gangsters, charged in teen’s murder.
— Nicole Emmett (@Nicole_Emmett) February 21, 2020
Mark has done major stories about the dangerous gang for years, and says it originated in Cobb County jail. pic.twitter.com/cFJTzHTWxk
One of the arrests happened as WSB-TV was wrapping up an interview with a suspect who was about to be arrested.
“Are you a Ghostface Gangster?” a reporter asked the suspect.
“No, I’m retired now,” the suspect said.
“They allow you (to) do that?” the reporter asked.
“Yeah. I’ve been Ghostface a long time,” the suspect said.
Operation Vanilla Gorilla
In December 2018, WSB-TV reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Georgia confirmed a grand jury had indicted dozens affiliated with the Ghostface Gangsters.
It was part of what they called Operation Vanilla Gorilla.
The charges included trafficking meth, cocaine and heroin, illegal firearms possession and counterfeiting.
As of November 2019, all 43 defendants pleaded guilty to the charges, the Department of Justice said in a news release.
The DOJ says the 43 defendants had 561 previous arrests altogether.
Four defendants had more than 10 felony convictions each.
I’ve learned two suspects may be in custody in Chattanooga https://t.co/ntaFExdRzh
— Mark Winne (@MarkWinneWSB) February 21, 2020
About the Author