A routine Tuesday morning traffic stop on Interstate 40 in Mt. Juliet escalated quickly when officers ended up hauling a 29-year-old Nashville man off to jail and hauling a sizable stash of drugs and guns out of his car.
Police say the haul included about two pounds of marijuana, roughly half an ounce of crack cocaine, two grams of fentanyl, and three firearms.
According to WSMV, the Mt. Juliet Police Department said an officer pulled the vehicle over after watching it drift across lanes and move carelessly along I-40. During the stop, the officer reportedly spotted marijuana residue on the driver’s shirt and decided to dig deeper.
That is when things got even messier.
In a post on the Mt. Juliet Police Department page, officials said the driver resisted, bolted into interstate traffic, and was ultimately tased before officers were able to get him in cuffs. Police also noted the 29-year-old already had an outstanding warrant out of Smyrna for failure to appear. The department said its investigation is still active.
What officers say they found in the car
Police recovered two pounds of marijuana, about 0.5 ounces of crack cocaine, two grams of fentanyl, and three firearms, according to the Mt. Juliet Police Department. The man was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana for resale, possession of cocaine and fentanyl, evading and resisting arrest, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a dangerous felony.
Charges and penalties
Under Tennessee law, employing or possessing a firearm during the commission of a dangerous felony is a separate offense with steep penalties. The statute classifies that conduct as a Class C felony with mandatory minimum prison time and limits access to many diversion programs, while possession with intent to go armed is a Class D felony, according to Tenn. Code § 39-17-1324. The code also requires that any sentence for the firearm offense run consecutively to other sentences in the case.
Bigger picture in Middle Tennessee
The bust fits into a broader pattern that local and federal officials have been tracking along Middle Tennessee’s major highways, where seemingly minor traffic violations can open the door to major drug and gun seizures. Interstate corridors like I-40 have been repeatedly flagged as pipelines for fentanyl and other illicit drugs moving into the region.
Recent multi-agency operations have led to substantial prosecutions and sentences, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and reporting from Tennessee Lookout, which have highlighted both the deadly reach of synthetic opioids and the legal system’s struggle to keep up.
Authorities have not yet released the Mt. Juliet suspect’s name or booking information. The police department says the investigation remains underway, and the next public moves in the case are expected to surface in local court filings as the new charges work their way through the system.
