A federal grand jury has indicted 15 alleged members of a drug trafficking conspiracy spanning West Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas, and California, including Myron Armstrong, Chad Hendricks, and Ping Huang, for possession with intent to distribute over 1,000 kilograms of marijuana and related money laundering charges. On Wednesday, 14 defendants were arrested during a coordinated operation called "Been Getting Bags," while one individual remains at large, and authorities seized roughly 207 pounds of marijuana, 2 ounces of crack cocaine, thousands of marijuana plants, money, firearms, and property valued at over one million dollars, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant praised the multi-agency effort, stating, "Criminal enterprises that distribute harmful drugs into West Tennessee can no longer hide. We are taking the fight to the drug trafficking organizations to dismantle their distribution networks, enforce the rule of law, and remove them from our streets." The indictment was unsealed on Friday, showing the scale of the operation and the federal commitment to disrupting narcotics distribution and associated criminal activity, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Field Division seized a large amount of drugs. Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott said, "The DEA and our law enforcement partners are committed to following every lead, wherever it may take us, to shut down any criminal enterprise that threatens public safety." Donald “Trey” Eakins from the IRS said, "IRS-CI special agents are skilled financial investigators who can unravel complex financial transactions and money laundering schemes where criminals try to hide illicit activities." The defendants face federal charges, including a narcotics charge with a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and fines up to $10 million, and more charges are possible as the investigation continues, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
