'Hundreds of pounds:' 39 indicted in Knox County on drug trafficking charges
The clock is ticking for dozens of defendants in a large-scale drug trafficking case filed in Knox County.
A total of 39 people, most from Knoxville and surrounding communities, have been indicted by the Knox County Grand Jury in connection with an investigation led by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
So far, 28 have been arrested and charged in connection with a "violent drug trafficking organization" that, authorities said, brought "hundreds of pounds" of methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine and fentanyl into the Knox County area. The defendants have until April 1 to enter a plea, court records state. Most remain in custody on bonds ranging from $150,000 to $250,000.
In a presentment, which is a formal presentation of information to the court, Knox County Assistant District Attorney Sean McDermott noted the suspects are accused of selling large amounts of the types of drugs linked to most of the overdose deaths in the county.
"2021 saw ... approximately 457 suspected drug overdose deaths in Knox County alone," McDermott wrote. "According to the Knox County Regional Forensic Center, the top four controlled substances found in drug-related deaths since 2017 have been fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine. This drug trafficking organization sold fentanyl, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine."
The indictments came after the TBI conducted a nearly two-year undercover investigation, a press release from the bureau stated. The investigation eventually looped in the Knoxville Police Department, the Knox County Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney General's Office and the Tennessee Highway Patrol, as well as agencies in Indiana and Georgia, to conduct surveillance as well as multiple controlled purchases of narcotics.
The presentment lists 33 charges covering a time period from March 2020 to December 2021. Of those, more than half relate to possession for sale of methamphetamine, with the remainder relating to sales of heroin, cocaine and fentanyl, along with charges of committing a felony while armed, and being a felon in possession of a weapon.
A TBI spokeswoman declined to provide further details, including total amounts seized and whether additional arrests were expected, and said the investigation is ongoing.
A review of court records offered more specific allegations in a few of the cases. In response to one defendant asking for a reduction of her $200,000 bond, McDermott noted the mother of five is suspected of selling heroin and methamphetamine out of her Vestal home, with drugs being sold when children were present.
The 28-year-old was eventually arrested on Dec. 5 while driving a codefendant back from purchasing heroin and meth in Atlanta, court records state. When their vehicle was stopped, troopers found more than 400 grams of suspected meth and more than 100 grams of suspected heroin.
That woman is facing charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to sell 300 grams or more of methamphetamine, and 150 grams or more of cocaine. She currently is out of custody on a $25,000 bond with a GPS monitor, according to court records.
A 49-year-old woman from Halls, also arrested in a vehicle in December, was found in possession of meth, heroin and fentanyl, along with a handgun and digital scales, court records state. A 43-year-old Knoxville woman, meanwhile, was recorded having multiple conversations with another defendant about acquiring new customers and providing "what amounts to a money-back guarantee" on the drugs they were selling.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Knox County drug trafficking investigation leads to 39 indictments
