A multi-agency drug investigation led to the discovery of nearly a half million dollars worth of cocaine and the arrest of . Columbia, TN 38401 Agents became suspicious after questioning the two men in the vehicle both from California and utilized a narcotics detection dog, Harper, to conduct a free-air sniff around the car. appreciated. They can have a lasting impact on your criminal record. The most serious of which are pills containing Fentanyl. Narcan The Daily Caller | 1775 Eye Street NW | Suite 1150-290 | Washington, DC 20006, (RELATED: I Want To Shove The Drugs Right Up The Noses Of The Gringos: Honduran President Accused By US Prosecutors Of Trafficking Drugs). A Warner Bros. All rights reserved. Drug Investigation Division Special Agents assigned to the Appalachia High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area focus their efforts on drug trafficking in counties throughout East and Upper East Tennessee. Tennessee, U . 29 of these counties are in Tennessee. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney announced the unsealing of the federal criminal complaint today. The organization allegedly has ties to MS-13, Sur-13 and a host of other street gangs that distributed thousands of illegal narcotics, according to the DOJ. Drug Investigation Division Special Agents assigned to the Appalachia High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area focus their efforts on drug trafficking in counties throughout East and Upper East Tennessee. The primary objective and mission of the GTFME remains to provide public safety for the citizens of Tennesseethrough: Go to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). In August 2010, the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) designated Shelby County to be included in the Gulf Coast HIDTA. Utilization of the latest methods and technology to dismantle, eliminate and/or disrupt these illegal actions. Affidavits cite numerous undercover and controlled drug purchases, as well as seizures of heroin, fentanyl, and large amounts of cash. Reach Mike Christenat mchristen@c-dh.net. February 8, 2023 Officers also recovered kilo presses; $45,000 in cash; and a .380 caliber pistol. It doesnt matter why you had the drug or what you were going to do with it. KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The University of Tennessee's campus police and Knoxville Police Department executed a search warrant for narcotics 1618 Forest Avenue in Knoxville on August 19 around 1 p.m. Savannah Padgett and Sophia Featherstone, both UT college students, lived at the same residence and were also on the search warrants as suspects. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); In early January, multiple law enforcement agencies joined together to arrest nine men and women who were smurfing purchasing pseudoephedrine products in order to manufacture methamphetamine. The increase of heroin abuse has created an epidemic rate increase of overdoses and deaths. Phone: (931) 380-8837, 1616 Westgate Cir #363 In 2021, the TBI investigated 131 cases. Bill Bodner, DEA special agent in charge for the Los Angeles field division, said the suspects at the Perris stash house are likely big players with the cartels. Pulaski caregiver charged with stealing painkillers from an elderly patient, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "It takes us a long time from the time we first know someone is dealing drugs, to. We believe there is only one viable solution in fighting the war on contraband cell phones in our facilities and that is through the deployment of shielded-micro jamming technology.. . One trooper was shot in the leg. Investigators used wiretaps along with other surveillance, confidential sources, traffic stops, search warrants, and gang intelligence to investigate this drug trafficking organization. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has announced a major drug bust in Middle Tennessee. "An extensive search of the vehicle disclosed a natural void located within the vehicle that had been converted into a compartment to transport contraband," the task force said. WAYNE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) At least 20 people are charged in connection to a Middle Tennessee methamphetamine distribution ring. Someone whos responsible for this quantity of drugs is someone who is very, very trusted by the cartels, Bodner said. A second indictment charges seven individuals with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute controlled substances, including heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, crack . The operation included more than 40 agents, deputies and officers from the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, Dyer and Lake County Sheriff's Departments, and . While we continue to make progress reducing prescription drug issues, illicit opioid drug use continues to spawn the proliferation of heroin/fentanyl. Mardi Growl to close several roads in downtown Knoxville on Saturday, What you need to know about paying to park in the Great Smoky Mountains, Severe storms move through East Tennessee, THP dashcam video shows chase, shootout on Highway 27, Corryton man shot after chase ends in shoot-out with THP troopers. Convictions for third and subsequent possessions are class E felonies, and they will land you one to six years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both. Fentanyl is sold as heroin and often laced into other drugs such a heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Assistant U.S. Example video title will go here for this video. TADEC is passionately committed to protecting the drug-endangered children of Tennessee by generating a renewed collaboration of resources from multidiscipline organizations and jurisdictions in the responsibility of protecting these children. Morales used contraband cellphones that were smuggled into the prison to orchestrate the drug distribution network, which flowed between Tennessee and Mexico, according to the DOJ. Individuals seeking prescription drugs like Hydrocodone have found that heroin is cheaper and more accessible on the street. 7:33 PM EDT, Wed October 14, 2020. The exact location of the crash wasn't immediately clear. On May 4, 2021, Jacob Mosely was sentenced to 210 months in prison and Howard Dowell was sentenced to 135 months in prison. Less than a quarter of a milligram of fentanyl could kill the average person, and the amount seized here is enough for every person in Shelby County to overdose more than nine times over. Both agencies led the arrest round up in Benton and Henry Counties on Tuesday as a part of Operation Icebreaker, a more than year-long drug investigation targeting methamphetamine and other. Acting DEA Administrator Timothy Shea announced the bust at a press conference Wednesday. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Troy was founded in 1825 as the original county seat of Obion County. Oct 12, 2020 Jenkins then called another individual and directed him to turn over $230,030 to law enforcement. TheTennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force(TDDTF) is a partnership of federal, state, and local agencies collaborating to reduce the availability and illegal use of harmful scheduled drugs. MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) One person is facing charges Saturday morning after a drug bust in Monroe County. Class C Felony: 3 to 15 years. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness . All rights reserved. 30 pounds of THC-laced Skittles, sour chews seized in Tennessee drug bust, police say By Tanasia Kenney. Jackson, TN Seventeen individuals have been charged in federal court with operating a multiplestate drug trafficking organization. Authorities, records indicate, first became aware of her after two people who'd just bought meth from her were in a crash Dec. 12, 2019, in East Tennessee. The arrests and drug seizure was made possible after agents developed information about a shipment of drugs being sent to Murfreesboro from California. The individuals in question now face charges ranging from possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia to promotion of methamphetamine manufacture and felony evading arrest. Oftentimes, drug-endangered children are left to fend for themselves and the TADEC is committed to providing these children an opportunity to be protected from an environment they have done nothing to cause and from which they should have some recourse. The sheriff's office says The organization allegedly has ties to MS-13, Sur-13 and a host of other street gangs that distributed thousands of illegal narcotics, according to the DOJ. Thats a significant amount of meth, Timothy Shea, the DEAs acting administrator, said at a press conference on Wednesday. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. These districts include Fentress County in the 8th Judicial District, Jackson County in the 15th Judicial District, and Overton, Pickett, Putnam, and Cumberland counties in the 13th Judicial District. According to Monroe County Sheriff Tommy Jones, a deputy spotted a driver not. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeChristenCDH and on Instagram at @michaelmarco. Other agencies involved include the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service in Knoxville, the Drug Enforcement Administration in Atlanta, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Ninth Judicial Drug Task Force in Tennessee. An official website of the United States government. Phone: (615) 510-6404, 604 N High St Discovery Company. They were discovered hidden in a truck delivering medical supplies from Mexico. The post Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Announces Major Drug Bust Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Laced Drugs appeared first on Thunderbolt Radio. McAllen, Texas residents Julio Beto, 45, Freddy Quinones, 48 and Jesus Barbas Silva, 40,also face the changes in addition to Pulaski residents Tory Hardison, 27, and Carson Lunn, 24. Painkillers:Pulaski caregiver charged with stealing painkillers from an elderly patient. As of the 2020 census, the population was 26,831. The concern there is that they are very violent and theyre very aggressive and they are largely responsible for much of the meth in this country, said Shea. In Tennessee, its illegal to possess a controlled substance without having a medical prescription for the substance. Convictions for third and subsequent possessions are class E felonies, and they will land you one to six years in prison, a fine of up to $3,000, or both. The drugs in that bust were seized at the Otay Mesa port of entry to San Diego. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The arrests are touted as the result of a multi-agency investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Columbia Police Department, the Hohenwald Police Department, the Spring Hill Police Department, and the Williamson County Sheriffs Department. During the course of the undercover investigation, Jenkins indicated that he and his co-conspirators had used the Overhill apartment as a stash house and that fentanyl valued at $700,000 had been taken by robbers or law enforcement. - [Google Review], What to Do if You are Pulled Over for DUI, Finding the Right Criminal Defense Lawyer, Drug Bust in West Tennessee Yields Drug Crime Charges Against Nine. A locked padlock Morales also instructed hitman Magdiel Pina Ramirez of Mexico to cut off part of his pinky finger to prove his loyalty, the DOJ said. ( Drew Angerer/Getty Images), This is just another example of illegal cell phones being used by convicted felons to communicate and conspire with criminals in the free-world to proliferate criminal activity, Tennessee Department of Corrections Commissioner Tony Parker said in a statement. Jenkins, along with Jacob Mosely, 40, and Howard Dowell, 50, also of Nashville, were indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2020 and charged with conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin, 400 grams or more of fentanyl, and 28 grams or more of cocaine; and possession with intent to distribute these drugs. The DEAs focus is to interrupt the drug transportation chain in the cities that account for 75% distribution of all meth distributed in the country, Shea said. The operation included more than 40 agents, deputies and officers from the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, Dyer and Lake County Sheriffs Departments, and police from Newbern, Tiptonville and Ridgely. It's still an "ongoing investigation," according to Overbey's release. He added that treatment options for addicts and people struggling have been limited due to restrictions in place because of the coronavirus. Mike Christen. Phone: (615) 476-7333, Copyright Law Offices of Adrian H. Altshuler & Associates | Sitemap, Adrian and Caroline made the process of my divorce far more comfortable than I imagined. The Department of Justice emphasizes that an indictment is merely an accusation. U.S. Attorney Mark H. Wildasin, joined byFBI Special Agent in charge of the Memphis Division Douglas Korneski and DEA Special Agent in Charge of the Louisville Division J. Todd Scott, commended the investigative work of the agencies involved. "Operation Thundering Justice," led by special agents with the Drug Investigation Division of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Carroll County Sheriff's Office, the Huntingdon Police Department, the McKenzie Police Department, and the Henderson County Sheriff's Office, began in January 2020. These counties take in three Tennessee judicial districts. During the same time frame, the number of DEA arrests related to meth rose nearly 20%. Officials have detained suspects and will continue to make arrests as the investigation continues. An investigation carried out by federal and local law enforcement has resulted in the indictment of 22 individuals for illegally distributing substantial amounts of controlled substances in Maury and Lewis counties. While the agency was given a grant to conduct a pilot program, the Communications Act of 1934 prevents the technology from being used, according to Parker. Making sure that victims of federal crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. Seeking out the eradicating/destroying marijuana which is domestically grown; Prevention and deterrence of marijuana growth in Tennessee by effecting arrests, seizure and forfeiture of, Efficient and effective collection, sharing, reporting, and utilization of intelligence information utilizing the. of methamphetamine (ice), 500 fentanyl pills, and an additional 1.25 lbs. Both men remain in theShelby County Jail on $1 million bonds each. But after a local and . TBI spokesperson Leslie Earhart said the 2022 Enhanced Criminal Enforcement Operation centered around pursuing illicit drugs in seven East Tennessee counties. To access the data used to build this dashboard, please visit the CBP Data Portal. In the fight against contraband cell phones, we run into a brick wall time and time again, Parker said. Wayne County Sheriff Shane Fisher said a routine drug. Demographic conditions of the Appalachia HIDTA, including relatively high unemployment and low median family income, create an environment where illegal activities and corruption can flourish. The TBI does not independently verify the convictions, and cannot guarantee their accuracy. June 24, 2020 Authorities charged 47 people and seized more than $1.7 million worth of methamphetamine following a nine-month drug investigation across the state, officials said Wednesday.. CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT) - Multiple agencies including the Anderson County Sheriff's Office, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Smoky Mountain Fugitive Task Force completed an investigation that ended in the arrests of several drug trafficking suspects. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The Jefferson City Police Department Aggressive Criminal Enforcement unit has ended a lengthy undercover operation that resulted in 31 Jefferson County grand jury indictments for the sale and. So far, they have not filed charges. A 28-year-old woman was arrested Saturday following a drug bust during which police found more than 183 grams of suspected heroin/fentanyl, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said. Besides the meth, the DEA found more than 880 pounds of cocaine. During the press conference, Shea pointed to the pandemic for the rise in drug use and overdoses. Consultation with an experienced drug crime lawyer will get you the best possible outcome for your case. He does not appear to have been charged with a federal offense. In addition, TBI Agents participate in a variety of collaborative efforts to address the drug issues in Tennessee. Established in 1998, the Appalachia HIDTA is comprised of sixty-five, predominately rural counties located within the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia. She lived 30-40 minutes from the house, according to the government. As a result of the search warrant, agents located and seized 12 ounces of marijuana, three grams of heroin and 2.5 pounds of methamphetamine from the residence. At least two dozen people allegedly participated in a major Glynn County-based drug-trafficking operation for a lengthy amount of time, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. All four charges for possession with intent are classified as felonies. We are taking the fight to the gangs in order to dismantle their drug trafficking organizations and remove them from our streets. It just wouldnt happen. The task force is made up of TBI Special Agents and officers from local law enforcement agencies. Jenkins was also charged with attempted possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine following a conviction for a serious drug felony. These counterfeits are compiled of various concoctions and are not what they appear to be. So these are high-level individuals.. according to a US Customs and Border Protection statement. Sale or possession with intent is a serious drug charge. Drug Enforcement Administration agents seized more than 2,200 pounds of methamphetamine earlier this month, the largest haul in the agencys history domestically, according to officials. The TBIs Drug Investigation Division (DID) investigates and assists in the prosecution of crimes involving controlled substances, narcotics, and other illegal drugs. Tennessee Dangerous Drugs Task Force Tennessee Drug Map This interactive map allows you to search for an address and display drug activities on the map, including meth lab seizures, meth lab quarantine sites, and other incidents. Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Announces Major Drug Bust Involving Fentanyl and Fentanyl Laced Drugs, Union City Boys Knock Off 5th Ranked Gibson County; Girls Fall to Lady Pioneers, Kolitsch named acting provost and senior vice chancellor, Stewart County Dispatch Breaks Record During Storm, Suspected Tornado Touchdown Damages Homes, Band Students Represent Districts Best At All West, Weakley County Students Celebrate Reading In Unique Ways, Speakers remember Martin Luther King, Jr. during annual celebration. oxycodone, and marijuana, between October 2017 and November 2020. . NASHVILLE Eric Jenkins, 40, of Nashville, Tennessee, the final defendant in a large drug distribution conspiracy was sentenced Tuesday to 210 months in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee.