A Texas man is facing a drug charge after West Tennessee Violent Crime and Drug Task Force agents say they found dozens of pounds of methamphetamine stuffed inside his luggage during a consensual encounter in Memphis on Tuesday. Investigators say the drugs had been moving along a route from Houston to Memphis, and they put the haul's value at roughly $250,000 wholesale and as much as $500,000 on the street.
The West Tennessee Drug Task Force - 28th,29th,30th was involved in the seizure. Local television station WSMV reported that agents found more than 43 pounds of methamphetamine packed into two vacuum-sealed bags inside a suitcase.
The man identified in those reports, Juan Daniel Leal Nunez, was detained Tuesday in the area of Airways Boulevard and East Brooks Road, per the station's account. Agents say Leal Nunez gave verbal consent for them to search a backpack and a suitcase he was carrying, which is when the vacuum-sealed bags were discovered.
Drugs Turned Over to Federal Agents, Charges Filed Locally
Investigators told the station the methamphetamine was being transported from Houston to Memphis, and the drugs were ultimately turned over to the Drug Enforcement Administration. On the state side, he was charged with possession with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell methamphetamine.
A Task Force Built Across Three Judicial Districts
The West Tennessee Drug Task Force operates by agreement between the district attorneys general for the 28th, 29th and 30th judicial districts, a structure that includes Mulroy, district attorney general for the 30th Judicial District, and Frederick Agee as district attorney general for the 28th Judicial District.
Task force leader Johnie Carter praised the agency’s work to make West Tennessee safer.
Part of a Record Year for Seizures
The bust adds to what has already been a record-setting stretch for the task force. Covering Shelby, Haywood, Crockett, Gibson, Dyer and Lake counties, the task force reported seizing a total of 1,889 pounds of drugs in 2025, according to WREG. Marijuana made up the bulk of that total at 1,154 pounds, and the agency said it broke individual seizure records for methamphetamine, cocaine and promethazine over the course of the year, the station reported, alongside 101 arrests and 54 guns recovered.
Large meth seizures tied to Tennessee have not been limited to Memphis this fall. In late September, a joint investigation in McMinnville led by the Warren County Sheriff's Narcotics Division, with assistance from other agencies, resulted in the seizure of 99 pounds of methamphetamine and the arrest of Arnaldo Davila Cabrera on a felony possession charge, according to WSMV.
