Thirteen people have been indicted in an ongoing investigation of the distribution of methamphetamine.
According to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the investigation is a part of the 313 Initiative which is “focused on those trafficking illicit drugs into Blount and Knox Counties from Detroit, Michigan.”
During the undercover investigation agents seized “approximately five pounds of methamphetamine, more than a pound of fentanyl, and cocaine,” the release said. Agents also seized seven firearms.
“Due to the hard work and collaboration between the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the 5th Judicial Drug Task Force and the District Attorney’s Office, this community is safer today than it was a week ago,” Blount County District Attorney Ryan Desmond said in a release. “The message is clear; the trafficking and distribution of fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine in Blount County will not be ignored and the consequences from the criminal justice system will be severe.”
Of the 13 indicted, eight had been arrested at the time of the release and five of those arrested were listed with addresses in Blount County:
• Gregory Salvatore Celentano, 41, Maryville
• Joseph Shane Todd, 38, Walland
• Vida Elizabeth Clack, 38, Walland
• Mary Faye Graham, 47, Knoxville
• Matthew Clay Humphrey, 62, Maryville
• Noah Olen McDowell, 42, Townsend
• Seth Austin Stokes, 28, Maryville
• Rashawn Maurice Jones, 30, Detroit, MI
They have all been charged with conspiracy to distribute 300 grams or more of methamphetamine, the release said.
TBI said agencies that participate in the 313 Initiative include Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Knoxville Police Department, Knox County Sheriff’s Office, 4th Judicial Drug Task Force, Sevier County Street Crimes, 5th Judicial Drug Task Force, 7th Judicial Crime Task Force, Campbell County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the District Attorneys General of the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Judicial Districts, Michigan State Police, Detroit Police Department, the Lexington Police Department in Kentucky, and the London Police Department in Kentucky.
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