The owner of a Georgia chain of taco shops also served up large quantities of methamphetamine, authorities said.
Adolfo “Flaco” Mitchell, who owns several Flacos Tacos restaurants in Chatham and Bryan counties, was charged last week with conspiring to have crystal meth shipped to him from across the country to distribute it throughout the region, the Savannah Morning News reports.
Mitchell, 34, also directed others to take the meth and distribute it in other states, including Virginia, a spokesman for the Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team told the newspaper.
Mitchell was initially arrested in March 2018 when marijuana and two firearms were found in his car during a traffic stop conducted by the Georgia State Patrol. A child was also in Mitchell’s vehicle at the time, the newspaper reports.
A grand jury indicted Mitchell on the gun and drug charges in April, as well as for using a minor for an illicit transaction and furnishing a pistol to a minor. Mitchell was arrested on those new counts in May and posted bail, according to the newspaper.
Mitchell surrendered to police Thursday after being indicted on the latest charges, WSAV reports.
“More often than not, you have people who are engaged in illegal activity who are also involved in legal activity,” Chatham-Savannah Counter Narcotics Team assistant deputy director Gene Harley told the station. “They try to merge the two together and come across as a legal, law-abiding person in a way to try to hide their illegal activities.”
A message seeking additional comment from Harley was not immediately returned.
It’s unclear how many of the Flacos Tacos restaurants are still affiliated with Mitchell. A manager at one of the locations said most of the restaurants are now independently owned, WSAV reports.
Mitchell remained in custody at the Chatham County Jail on Tuesday, jail records show.