Deputies raid Waynesboro home, arrest suspect in drug bust

Burke County Sheriff's Office(WRDW)
Published: May. 22, 2023 at 10:37 AM EDT

WAYNESBORO, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - For the second time in a couple of days, a sheriff’s special operations team descended on a Waynesboro neighborhood to search a home where authorities suspected drugs were being sold.

The latest incident happened just after 4:15 p.m. Friday in the 600 block of Wallace Street, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.

Team members took 29-year-old Alphonse Fredrick Birdine into custody without incident, and a search of Birdine and his home resulted in the discovery of a “large amount” of marijuana and MDMA pills, deputies said.

Birdine was transported to the Burke County Detention Center and charged with:

  • Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.
  • Possession of a methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
  • Possession of marijuana with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a housing project.
  • Possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a housing project.
  • Unlawful street gang activity.

The drug bust followed a similar one Wednesday afternoon in the 900 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at a home where authorities suspected crack cocaine was being sold. A 66-year-old suspect was arrested.