Five face trafficking charges in East Gadsden drug operation; case still open

GADSDEN, AL – Five of the eight people taken into custody in last week’s multi-agency drug operation in East Gadsden are now facing trafficking charges, and Etowah County District Attorney Jody Willoughby says the investigation remains open.

Willoughby has not said how many more people may be charged. As of Monday morning, no court dates had been announced and the office had not released bond amounts for the five.

What happened in the operation?

The operation ran Wednesday, Aug. 5, and closed a four-month investigation. Roughly 10 federal, state and local agencies served search and arrest warrants at about eight locations across East Gadsden at the same time.

Agencies involved included the FBI, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Gadsden Police Department, the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, the Etowah County Drug Enforcement Unit and departments from neighboring jurisdictions, including Oxford police.

Willoughby said at a news conference Friday, Aug. 7, that hitting all the locations at once would not have been possible for a single local agency working alone. No officers, suspects or bystanders were injured.

Who is charged?

Willoughby identified five people arrested on trafficking charges.

Zuquavius Clay, 34, faces two counts of drug trafficking. Demetrie Borden, 33, faces two counts of drug trafficking and first-degree unlawful possession of marijuana. Alexis Buchanan, 36, was arrested on warrants for drug trafficking and theft of property. David Coats, 35, faces charges of drug trafficking and possession of a controlled substance.

The remaining three people in custody face charges the district attorney’s office described as ranging down to traffic violations. Those charges have not been detailed publicly.

An arrest is not a conviction. Everyone named is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. Charges may be amended or dropped as the case moves forward.

What was seized?

Investigators reported taking about 1.1 pounds of fentanyl, roughly 4 ounces of methamphetamine, five firearms, more than $8,000 in cash, three vehicles, marijuana and a pill press.

Fentanyl is the reason those numbers matter locally. It is potent enough that very small amounts can be lethal, which is why a seizure measured in ounces draws the response a much larger marijuana case would not. Sheriff Horton used the news conference to underline that danger, both to people using the drug and to officers who encounter it during searches.

Why did so many agencies take part?

FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Dave Fitzgibbons framed the operation as a partnership result rather than a single agency’s win, pointing to the five trafficking arrests and the fentanyl, vehicles, firearms and cash taken.

ALEA Major Crimes Chief Shawn Loughridge said the point was protecting communities and keeping illegal controlled substances out of neighborhoods, not compiling statistics.

Simultaneous warrant service at eight locations requires enough personnel to cover every address at once. Hitting them one at a time gives people at the other locations time to move drugs, weapons or money.

What happens next?

Trafficking charges in Alabama carry mandatory minimum sentences that scale with the weight of the drug involved, so the fentanyl quantity will matter at sentencing if there are convictions.

The case has a federal dimension as well, given the FBI’s role. Any federal prosecution would run through the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Alabama, now led by a Gadsden lawyer who once represented Etowah County in the state Senate. Whether any defendants face federal charges alongside the state counts has not been announced.

GadsdenThrive is seeking details from the district attorney’s office on court dates, bond amounts and whether additional charges are coming, and will update this story as the case moves through the courts.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were arrested? Eight were taken into custody. Five face drug trafficking charges.

Are they still in jail? Bond amounts and custody status had not been released as of Monday morning.

Is the investigation over? No. The district attorney’s office has said it remains active.

Where can I check court records? Alabama court case information is available through the state judicial system’s public case lookup.