A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging 15 Memphis, Tennessee, residents for their involvement in an organized drug trafficking scheme, officials stated.
According to court documents, between November 2023 and June 2024, the defendants allegedly worked together, and with others, to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana throughout the Memphis area.
During the investigation, agents recovered two stolen vehicles and seized 29 firearms, five machinegun conversion devices (“switches”), over $4,000 in cash, 938 grams of methamphetamine, 541 grams of fentanyl, 200 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, and 26.43 pounds of marijuana.
The indictment charges the following 15 defendants:
|
Defendant |
Age | Charges |
| Brian Lackland | 34 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, over 500 grams of methamphetamine, and marijuana; possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes; and being a felon in possession of firearms |
| Paul Nelson | 31 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and over 500 grams of methamphetamine; and being a felon in possession of firearms |
| Ebony Cobb | 41 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and over 500 grams of methamphetamine |
| Jerrod Cox | 31 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Darius Moore | 38 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Edgar Smith | 38 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Mervin Anderson | 38 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Courtney Davis | 28 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Timothy Achols | 36 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl |
| Jehu Cruz | 23 | Conspiracy to distribute fentanyl; and possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes |
| Mohamed Samba | 24 | Conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes |
| Prentiss Broadway | 33 | Possession with intent to distribute fentanyl |
| Braxton Beck | 32 | Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms |
| Darion Allen | 28 | Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms |
| Delifarroe Goins | 29 | Federal firearms offenses and being a felon in possession of firearms |
If convicted, the defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana face a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and the defendants charged with distributing methamphetamine face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The defendants charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl face a mandatory minimum of five years or 10 years in prison, depending on the amount distributed, and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The defendants charged with possession of firearms during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes face a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); FBI; U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Multi-Agency Gang Unit; Memphis Police Department; Bartlett Police Department; and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Amanda Kotula and Aaron Henricks of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neal Oldham for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.