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The Led County Ledger Your Hometown Source Of Local News Hometown Newspaper of Sonja and Freddie Montgomery Volume XLV- Number 38 Leesburg, Georgia - - May 17, 2023 Fifty Cents El Guapo Launching Nationwide Inside The Fresh Market Special to the Ledger El Guapo has made good on the Decem ber 6, 2021 The Times Picayune front page headline: GOING NA TIONAL. On May 10th, the local cocktail brand with big aspirations is launching 3 products inside The Fresh Market nationwide, adding 159 new grocery locations to its already sizeable account list. Starting Wednesday, May 10th, visit any of the 12 Geor gia The Fresh Market locations to stock up on El Guapo Bloody Mary, Salted Paloma and Moji to mixers. After raising over $1.1 million in 2021 to scale production and operations in Orleans Parish, the brand moved to 3300 Gravier Street, where it installed its first bottling line and added five additional team members. The new capital and equipment effectively quintupled El Guapo’s manufactur ing capacity, with room to quintuple again. The brand is capitalizing on the city’s cocktail culture and remains committed to providing quality jobs within the 8 10499 02456 8 DOHERTY, DUGGAN, HART&TIERNAN INSURORS Home • Auto • Business • Life/Health P.O.Box 71628 (229)888-2040 Albany, GA 31708-1628 800-628-2040 2301 Dawson Road (31707) Fax (229) 435-3036 www.ddhtins.com Lee County Commission will meet Tuesday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the T. Page Tharp Governmental Building city limits. El Guapo is owned and operated by its CEO, Christa Cotton. The brand is popular with various upscale bars, restaurants and retail establishments. Current clients include Total Wine, Whole Foods, World Market, Neiman Marcus and a litany of celebrity, Michelin Starred and James Beard chefs. In Georgia, the products are available via distribution via Empire Distributors. Products are currently sold in all 50 states and 5 countries, with more on the horizon. The company is a WBENC certified Woman Owned Business and a 7x Good Food Award recipient, the most of any brand in the Elixirs category or headquartered in the State of Louisiana. The brand is known for quality ingredient sourcing, sustainable packaging and practices as well as exemplary customer service. They partner with regional farmers, producing products made with Ponchatoula strawber ries, satsumas, pecans, chicory and more. The bottles are 100% recyclable, the labels are made from recycled craft paper and each bottle is hand dipped in wax to avoid send ing single use plastic tear tape to the landfill. Christa is also on the advisory board for Glass Half Full, the local glass recycler. She’s a Tory Burch Foundation Fel low, James Beard Foun dation Women’s Entre preneurial Leadership fellow and 2021 gradu ate of The Idea Village VillageX program. She got her start in the spirits industry by helping her family start Georgia’s first legal distillery since Prohibi tion, 13th Colony, while in college at Auburn University. She resides in Uptown with her life partner, Brian, daugh ter, Flora and Bernese Mountain Dog, Archie Manning. Sheriff’s Special to the Ledger On May 8, 2023, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia Bureau of Investigation Southwestern Region al Drug Enforcement Office conducted an en forcement operation re garding an ongoing drug investigation targeting Shaun Anthony Akins at 122 Hartley Lane in Lee County, GA. Deputies and Agents observed a vehicle leaving this residence and later made contact with the vehicle driver, John Charles Hice during a traffic stop. A search of the vehicle was conducted and Deputies located ap proximately 37 grams of suspected methamphet- amine, 12 multicolored Arrest of Brian Alexander Akins Special to the Ledger On May 3, 2023 at approximately 9:57 PM, SFC. Aaron Parker ini tiated a traffic stop on a black Ford Expedition in the 1400 block of Phile- ma Road South in refer ence to failing to move over for an emergency vehicle with flashing blue lights. Contact was made with the driver of the vehicle, Brian Alex ander Akins, aka Alex Akins. While the traffic stop was being con ducted by Sgt. Beach, SFC. Parker deployed his drug detection K-9, Murphy, which alerted on the vehicle for the odor of illegal narcotics. A search of the vehicle was conducted and six individually packaged baggies were recovered containing suspected methamphetamine that had a combined gross weight of approximately 14 grams. Several sy ringes, packaging mate rials for the distribution of illegal narcotics, and a glass-smoking device were also located in the vehicle. AKINS was ar rested for possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute; and procedure for passing stationary authorized emergency vehicle. Akins was arrested and transported to the Lee County Jail, but has since been released on bond. It should be noted that Brain Alexander Akins is related Shaun Brian Alexander Akins Anthony Akins, who was also arrested by Deputies on May 8. Office Makes Drug Arrests suspected MDMA pills along with packaging material and tools for the distribution of illegal narcotics. Hice was arrested for: Trafficking methamphet amine; Possession of a schedule I controlled substance with the intent to distribute; Possession of tools for the commis sion of a crime; Driving without a license; and No insurance. Deputies and Agents then responded to 122 Hartley Lane where they made contact with Shaun Anthony Akins, aka Tony Akins for the purpose of conducting a search at the residence. Deputies and Agents conducted a search and recovered approximately Shaun Anthony Akins John Charles Hice 168 grams of suspected methamphetamine along with packaging mate rials and tools for the purpose of trafficking methamphetamine. Akins was arrested for: Trafficking methamphet amine and possession of tools during the com mission of a crime. Both subjects are being held at the Lee County Jail. This case was investi gated by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Narcot ics Investigation Divi sion and Uniform Patrol Division along with the Georgia Bureau of In vestigation Southwestern Regional Drug Enforce ment Office. Additional arrests in this case are pending. Submitted Photo From left to right: Jake Barrow (LRA), Gene Sutton, Nina Dey and William Federly (Fuzzy’s Taco), Cecile St. Peter, Steve Perrine (Exchange President), John Woodward (Proudly We Hail Chairman), Gary and Tammy Mays (Charlie’s Paint and Body) and Emory Kitchings (Mars Wrigley). Exchange Club Honor’s Proudly We Hail Receipients Jon Woodcock, Lieutenant Colonel USMC,retired. Special to the Ledger The Albany Exchange Club held the annual Proudly We Hail pro gram which recognizes businesses and individ uals who proudly and properly display the American Flag. This year’s honorees are: Charlie’s Paint & Body, Cecile St. Peter, Mars Wrigley, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, LRA Con tractors and Sutton’s Landing Park. Our program guest speaker was Mr. Jon Woodcock. Mr. Wood cock has served in the United States Marine Corps as an enlisted Marine, Commissioned Officer and government civilian for over four decades. He served combat tours to Kuwait, Somalia and Afghanistan and deployed as an advisor to the United Nations and Office of African Unity Planning Peace keeping Operations in Ethiopia and Eritrea. He retired as a Lieu tenant Colonel from the Marine Corps Logistic Command in Albany. He spoke on “What the flag means to me”. In closing, he stated that the United States is still the greatest country in the world and that he proudly flies the flag every day in front of his house. €o3tly Mortgage To Subscribe Call 229-759-2413 Homeownership is within your reach, even if you don't have much to put toward a down payment. GCB has you covered with low mortgage insurance premiums. Contact us to get a quote today! Georgia Community Bank 3000 N. Slappey Blvd. (229) 446-0102 Online @ GCB.bank NMLS # 648124 Subject to credit approval. Member FDIC