MEMPHIS, TN – Memphis Mayor W.W. Herenton, Memphis Police Director Larry Godwin and Shelby County District Attorney Bill Gibbons announced Thursday that Memphis police officers served or attempted to serve warrants to 51 defendants indicted this week for felony drug violations. The state Grand Jury for Shelby County on Tuesday returned 147 indictments following “Operation Safe Crossing,” a city-wide joint operation to reduce crime around school areas. The defendants were indicted for drug crimes that allegedly occurred within close proximity to schools.
The round-up of defendants started around 4:00 a.m. Thursday. The names of defendants in custody at this time will be released separately. It is illegal in Tennessee to announce the names of individuals indicted by the Grand Jury unless those individuals are in custody on the charges.
The defendants range in age from 19 to 56 years old. Organized Crime Unit investigators seized 13 vehicles throughout the course of the investigation.
The indictments returned by the Grand Jury include charges of sale of a controlled substance, and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to manufacture, deliver or sell. The drug charges primarily involve the sale or possession of cocaine, but some charges involve heroin. The amount or types of drugs involved resulted in numerous felony charges ranging from Class C to Class B felonies.
On August 13th, as part of this same operation, the D.A.’s Office filed nuisance actions against 23 alleged drug houses and two businesses, each within a half mile from a school. Several of the properties were closed by court order.
“Operation Safe Crossing” coincides with the launch of Operation Blue CRUSH™ Phase II. In addition to drug activity, “Operation Safe Crossing” also focused on prostitution and other criminal activity near schools. The operation has also included a large police presence and extra patrols near school campuses.
“We have taken on a lot of drug cases this year because of these undercover investigations, and if the Memphis police keep bringing us good, quality cases, we’re prepared to take on even more. We will do what we can from a prosecution standpoint to get the drug dealers and the violent gang members off the streets,” explained District Attorney Bill Gibbons.
“The results of ‘Operation Safe Crossing’ send a clear message that criminal activity will not be tolerated around our schools or in our city,” said Mayor Herenton.
“These indictments and arrests are the result of months of hard work by our undercover officers. Over one hundred drug buys were made from the houses shut down earlier this month. We will continue our fight against crime, and continue to protect our children,” said Director Godwin.
The standard sentence for a Class B felony is 8-12 years, with a maximum sentence of 30 years; the standard sentence for a Class C felony is 3-6 years, with a maximum sentence of 15 years. |