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Office of the SheriffAnderson County, Tennessee FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Undercover Drug Operation Nets 163 Indictments
One hundred sixty-three indictments for eighty-eight persons on drug related charges havebeen returned by an Anderson County Grand Jury after investigations by the AndersonCounty Sheriff’s Department in cooperation with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation,the Oak Ridge, Lake City, Oliver Springs, and Clinton Police Departments, the NorrisDepartment of Public Safety, and the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department. Thiscooperation led to the indictments of several of the eighty-eight individuals.
The Sheriff’s Special Operations Unit conducted these drug investigations over the lastseveral months. Persons indicted for manufacture, sales, delivery, or possession eithersold to undercover agents or were in possession of illegal drugs for resale. Theseindictments also include charges resulting from meth lab investigations and the purchaseof pseudoephedrine. Charges include sale or possession for resale of marijuana, cocaine,and prescription or legend drugs, as well as methamphetamine related offenses. Thirty-nine persons were indicted for prescription narcotics related offenses. Twenty-seven wereindicted for “smurfing” or the purchase of pseudoephedrine for the purpose ofmanufacturing methamphetamine. Eleven persons were indicted on meth related offensesand ten persons for marijuana charges. Four were indicted for sales of crack cocaine.
Three persons were indicted on sales or possession for resale of more than one type ofdrug. Three were charged with violations of the drug free school zone. Twenty-eightpersons are charged with multiple counts of drug offenses.
As a part of these ongoing investigations, twenty-three search warrants were served overthe past few months. Twenty-eight vehicles have already been seized with an additionalseven more to be seized in connection with these cases.
Anderson County Sheriff’s deputies, along with officers from the Oak Ridge, Lake City,Oliver Springs, and Clinton Police Departments, the Campbell County Sheriff’sDepartment, State Troopers from the Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Deputy Marshalsfrom the U.S. Marshals Service and the Smoky Mountains Fugitive Task Force will be outover the next several days arresting those persons indicted. This operation also includesofficials from the District Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee Methamphetamine Task Force,and the Counterdrug Task Force of the Tennessee National Guard.
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT101 SOUTH MAIN STREET SUITE 400 E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.tnacso.net These indictments come after much hard work by investigators of the Sheriff’s SpecialOperations Unit as well as all those law enforcement agencies who worked on thesecases. The District Attorney General’s Office spent many hours assisting investigators bypreparing and presenting these cases to the Grand Jury.
“This cooperative effort has once again led to a number of arrests on drug charges,” saidSheriff Paul White. “While these individuals are charged with drug offenses, the emphasisis on overall crime issues. Illegal drug activity touches every crime from bad checks toproperty crimes such as burglary and theft. Drugs are a large part of the violent crimes ofrobberies and home invasions.” “We will continue to work with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to goafter those who sell drugs in Anderson County,” continued Sheriff White. “Our thanks toall of the law enforcement agencies and the District Attorney’s Office for their help in thisoperation.” “Citizens and drug dealers alike should know that law enforcement in Anderson County isworking hard and working together to constantly run undercover operations,” remarkedDistrict Attorney General Dave Clark. “Drug dealers aren’t welcome here so they wouldbe well advised to quit what they are doing or leave.” Drug enforcement is one of the top priorities for the Anderson County Sheriff’s Department.
From 2007 through 2009, the Sheriff’s Department arrested 732 persons for drug offensesranging from possession of drug paraphernalia and simple possession; to sales anddelivery of cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription narcotics. During the first threemonths of 2010, Sheriff’s deputies and investigators have made seventy-eight drug relatedarrests.
It is expected to take several days to make arrests on these indictments. Sheriff’sinvestigators will also be conducting follow-up investigations on many of these cases. Thenames of those arrested or wanted in connection with these indictments will be releasedat a later date.
Sheriff Paul White
ANDERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT101 SOUTH MAIN STREET SUITE 400 E-mail: [email protected] • Web: www.tnacso.net

Source: http://www.tnacso.net/news/pdf/58.pdf